Lipid Nanotube Encapsulating Method in Low-Energy Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Analyses

The lipid nanotube (LNT) encapsulating method is a rational sample fixation method that can be used to mount samples for transmission electron microscopy analyses. By employing the LNT encapsulating method in 30 kV low-voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy (LV-STEM), it is possible to record multiangle images of ferritin without using the negative staining method. We have also recorded a tilted series of high-contrast LV-STEM images and reconstructed three-dimensional images. These results show that LNTs have sufficient durability for LV electron beam, and indicate the potential of the LNT encapsulating method as a sample fixation method of LV electron microscopy. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics