Qualitative Analyses of Polishing and Precoating FIB Milled Crystals for MicroED.

ABSTRACT: Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) leverages the strong interaction between matter and electrons to determine protein structures from vanishingly small crystals. This strong interaction limits the thickness of crystals that can be investigated by MicroED, mainly due to absorption. Recent studies have demonstrated that focused ion-beam (FIB) milling can thin crystals into ideal-sized lamellae; however, it is not clear how to best apply FIB milling for MicroED. Here, the effects of polishing the lamellae, whereby the last few nanometers are milled away using a low-current gallium beam, are explored in both the platinum-precoated and uncoated samples. Our results suggest that precoating samples with a thin layer of platinum followed by polishing the crystal surfaces prior to data col

SUBMITTER: Martynowycz MW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7145226 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature