A fixed-target platform for serial femtosecond crystallography in a hydrated environment.

ABSTRACT: For serial femtosecond crystallography at X-ray free-electron lasers, which entails collection of single-pulse diffraction patterns from a constantly refreshed supply of microcrystalline sample, delivery of the sample into the X-ray beam path while maintaining low background remains a technical challenge for some experiments, especially where this methodology is applied to relatively low-ordered samples or those difficult to purify and crystallize in large quantities. This work demonstrates a scheme to encapsulate biological samples using polymer thin films and graphene to maintain sample hydration in vacuum conditions. The encapsulated sample is delivered into the X-ray beam on fixed targets for rapid scanning using the Roadrunner fixed-target system towards a long-term goal of low-backgr

SUBMITTER: Shelby ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6949605 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature