Science Lab
Science Lab
The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems offers scientific research and teaching material on the subjects of microscopy. The content is designed to support beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies – become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise!
Macroscale to Nanoscale Pore Analysis of Shale and Carbonate Rocks
Physical porosity in rocks, like shale and carbonate, has a large effect on the their storage capacity. The pore geometries also affect their permeability. Imaging the visible pore space provides…
Visualization of DNA Molecules
Precise low angle rotary shadowing with heavy metals (like platinum) can be used in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to observe molecular details of objects previously absorbed on a thin, low…
Practical Applications of Broad Ion Beam Milling
Mechanical polishing can be time consuming and frustrating. It can also introduce unwanted artifacts when preparing cross-sectioned samples for electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning…
Porous Ceramics - Sample Preparation for SEM
Application Note for Leica EM RES102 - Ceramic membrane filters with pore sizes down to a few nanometres must be investigated in cross-section with regard to the structure of the pores. The smallest…
Paper Samples - Sample Preparation for SEM
Application Note for Leica EM RES102 - A coated paper sample has been prepared with ion beam slope cutting in order to test the procedure with regard to its applicability. With the use of ion beam…
Bacteria Protocol - Critical Point Drying of E. coli for SEM
Application Note for Leica EM CPD300 - Critical point drying of E. coli with subsequent platinum / palladium coating and SEM analysis. Sample was inserted into a filter disc (Pore size: 16 - 40 μm)…
Ion Beam Polishing of Sample Surfaces - Sample Preparation for SEM
Application Note for Leica EM RES102 - Ion milling can be used to reduce the roughness of sample surfaces. Small angles less than 6° with respect to the sample surface are necessary. The high voltage…
Epoxy Resin Embedding of Animal and Human Tissues for Pathological Diagnosis and Research
Application Note for Leica EM AMW - The tissues were fixed in the modified Karnovsky fixative generally by immersion overnight (at minimum 4h at room temperature). Then pieces of approx. 1mm3 were cut…
Human Blood Cells Protocol
Application Note for Leica EM CPD300 - Life Science Research. Species: Human (Homo sapiens)
Critical point drying of human blood with subsequent platinum / palladium coating and SEM analysis.