Multiplexed TEM Specimen Preparation and Analysis of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Sean K Mulligan; Jeffrey A Speir; Ivan Razinkov; Anchi Cheng; John Crum; Tilak Jain; Erika Duggan; Er Liu; John P Nolan; Bridget Carragher; Clinton S Potter

doi:10.1017/S1431927615014324

Multiplexed TEM Specimen Preparation and Analysis of Plasmonic Nanoparticles

Microsc Microanal. 2015 Aug;21(4):1017-1025. doi: 10.1017/S1431927615014324.

Authors

Sean K Mulligan^#¹, Jeffrey A Speir^#¹, Ivan Razinkov^#^{1

2}, Anchi Cheng^{1

2}, John Crum¹, Tilak Jain¹, Erika Duggan³, Er Liu⁴, John P Nolan³, Bridget Carragher^{1

2}, Clinton S Potter^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA.
² New York Structural Biology Center, New York, New York, 10027, USA.
³ Scintillon Institute, San Diego, California, 92121, USA.
⁴ La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, San Diego, California, 92121, USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

We describe a system for rapidly screening hundreds of nanoparticle samples using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The system uses a liquid handling robot to place up to 96 individual samples onto a single standard TEM grid at separate locations. The grid is then transferred into the TEM and automated software is used to acquire multiscale images of each sample. The images are then analyzed to extract metrics on the size, shape, and morphology of the nanoparticles. The system has been used to characterize plasmonically active nanomaterials.

Keywords: TEM; automation; nanoparticles.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

High-Throughput Screening Assays / methods*
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / methods*
Nanoparticles / analysis*
Robotics / methods*
Specimen Handling / methods*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding