The supply of a Carbon Coater for Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Carbon films are used in electron microscopy as they enable the imaging of samples on grids. They are transparent to the electron beam but are also conductive, thermostable and produce a low background signal.

This enables the samples (in this case proteins or other small molecules) to stick and be evenly distributed on the grids. Our research is in the field of cryo-electron microscopy, specifically the structure and function of membrane-embedded protein transporters.

Samples are prepared in the wet laboratory and screened in the electron microscope on negatively-stained carbon coated grids for purity and homogeneity. We wish to purchase a Carbon Coater that can produce carbon coated grids which have to be produced quickly and with differing thickness, to identify the best conditions for each type of sample.

This requirement means that carbon coating needs to be performed several times a week with a dedicated and fast automated system, capable of specifically setting the thickness of the carbon layer required. It should be possible to customise, store and export programmes, allowing versatility and reproducibility.

Due to space restrictions, the machine should also be a small bench-top version rather than a large free-standing system. The system should also be modular, so that additional devices such as sputter coaters or cryo-modules can be added later.