Preparation of Suitable Ultrathin Formvar Film for Transmission Electron Microscopic Technique

Article Sidebar

Microsc. Microanal. Res. 2018, 31(1)
PDF
Published: Jun 30, 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14456/microsc-microanal-res.2018.6
Keywords:
Formvar film Transmission electron microscopy Characteristic

Main Article Content

Piyanan Thanomchat
Scientific Equipment and Research Division, Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute, Kasetsart University, Bangkok,10900.
Yupadee Paopun
Scientific Equipment and Research Division, Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute, Kasetsart University, Bangkok,10900.

Abstract

Formvar is a polyvinyl formaldehyde polymer which has been used to support specimens for transmission electron microscopic studies.  It is suitable as a supporting film because of its high resistance to electron beams.  In this study, formvar films were prepared by casting  0.2 percent formvar solution for 3, 5, 8 and 10 seconds on glass slides. The thickness of the film was observed using an atomic force microscope.  The result showed that the film thickness varied with the casting time.  The casting times of 8 and 10 seconds resulted   in the thickness of 27.26±1.51 and 38.40±1.35 nanometers.  It was found that  film thicknesses between 27.26 and  38.40 nanometers are suitable because of their strength, smoothness and lack of  shrinkage.  The films cast for  3 and 5 seconds are thinner (16.51±1.88-21.61±0.95 nanometers) than those cast for 8 and 10 seconds.  However, those thin films exhibited shrinkage or wrinkling when observed under a scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope.  Overall of this study revealed that film casting times of 8 and 10 seconds were appropriate to prepare the thin films for transmission electron microscopy.

Article Details

How to Cite
(1)
Thanomchat, P.; Paopun, Y. Preparation of Suitable Ultrathin Formvar Film for Transmission Electron Microscopic Technique. Microsc. Microanal. Res. 2018, 31, 34-38.
Issue
Vol. 31 No. 1 (2018): Microsc. Microanal. Res.
Section
Original Articles

References

1. A.B. Maunsbach, B.A. Afzelius, Biomedical Electron Microscopy Illustrated Methods and Interpretations, Academic Press, London, 1999.

2. B.E. Juniper, A.J. Gilchrist, G.C. Cox, P.R. Williams, Technique for Plant Electron Microscopy, first ed., Hollywell Press, Oxford, 1970.

3. B.L. Gabriel, Biological Scanning Electron Microscope, Van Nostrand Reinhold Publishing, New York, 1982.

4. E. Davison and W. Colquhoun, Ultrathin formvar suppoet films for transmission electron microscopy, JOURNAL OF ELCTRON MICROSCOPY TECHNIQUE., 1985, 2, 35-43.

5. M. Hoppert, A. Holzenburg, Electron in Microbiology, BIOS Scientific Publishers, United States of Kingdom, 1998.

6. M.A. Hayat, Principle and Techniques of Electron Microscopy Biological Applications, forth ed., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000.

7. M.J. Dykstra, L.E. Reuss, Biological Electron Microscopy Theory, Techniquees, and Troubleshooting, second ed., Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2003.

8. P.J. Goodhew, Specimen Preparation in Materials Science, North-Holland Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1972.