Abstract
Cryo-transfer stations are essential tools in the field of cryo-electron microscopy, enabling the safe transfer of frozen vitreous samples between different stages of the workflow. However, existing cryo-transfer stations are typically configured for only the two most popular sample holder geometries and are not commercially available for all electron microscopes. Additionally, they are expensive and difficult to customize, which limits their accessibility and adaptability for research laboratories. Here, we present a new modular cryo-transfer station that addresses these limitations. The station is composed entirely of 3D-printed and off the shelf parts, allowing it to be reconfigured to a fit variety of microscopes and experimental protocols. We describe the design and construction of the station and report on the results of testing the cryo-transfer station, including its ability to maintain cryogenic temperatures and transfer frozen vitreous samples as demonstrated by vibrational spectroscopy. Our findings demonstrate that the cryo-transfer station performs comparably to existing commercial models, while offering greater accessibility and customizability. The design for the station is open source to encourage other groups to replicate and build on this development. We hope that this project will increase access to cryo-transfer stations for researchers in a variety of disciplines with nonstandard equipment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 724-728 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Microscopy and Microanalysis |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2024 |
Funding
This research was supported by the Center for Emergent Materials, an NSF MRSEC, under award number DMR-2011876. All 3D printing and EELS measurements were completed as part of a user proposal at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility using instrumentation within ORNL's Materials Characterization Core provided by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the DOE and sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy. Additional support was provided by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DOE-BES), Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under contract ERKCS89. This research was supported by the Center for Emergent Materials, an NSF MRSEC, under award number DMR-2011876. All 3D printing and EELS measurements were completed as part of a user proposal at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility using instrumentation within ORNL's Materials Characterization Core provided by UT-Battelle, LLC, under contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the DOE and sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy. Additional support was provided by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (DOE-BES), Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering under contract ERKCS89.
Keywords
- 3D printing
- CAD
- EELS
- TEM
- cryo-transfer
- ice
- open source
- vibrational spectroscopy
- vitreous