Low-dose aberration corrected cryo-electron microscopy of organic specimens

Abstract

Spherical aberration (C-s) correction in the transmission electron microscope has enabled sub-angstrom resolution imaging of inorganic materials. To achieve similar resolution for radiation-sensitive organic materials requires the microscope to be operated under hybrid conditions: low electron dose illumination of the specimen at liquid nitrogen temperature and low defocus values. Initial images from standard inorganic and organic test specimens have indicated that under these conditions C-s-correction can provide a significant improvement in resolution (to less than 0.16 nm) for direct imaging of organic samples. (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V.