The installation of a new Tecnai G2 Spirit BioTWIN transmission electron microscope by FEI, together with equipment for cryo-preparation and 3D tomography, is currently under way at the Laboratory of Electron Microscopy of the UG’s Faculty of Biology.  It is due to replace its well-worn predecessor, a CM100 by Philips, purchased in 1993.

According to Dr hab. Magdalena Narajczyk, head of the laboratory, the Tecnai microscope will be used for imaging the ultrastructure of biological material and nanomaterials. It will provide the opportunity to observe frozen samples i.e. those prepared using the cryogenic technique which allows chemically unstabilised material to be observed. Moreover, the microscope will be equipped with the option to work with “low dose” electron beams in order to observe samples which might be damaged by higher doses. This technique allows the user to minimise the dose of electrons necessary for the observation to be carried out. There will also be an additional option of taking photographs with the help of a tomography holder and then creating a 3D reconstruction of data.

Work on installing the microscope is due to finish by the end of September 2016.