The Thermo Scientific Volumescope 2 Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is our state-of-the-art serial block-face imaging system. Keep control of experiments with easy to use technology and protect a wide range of possible samples with tried and tested solutions for every acquisition step.

Block face imaging

Unraveling the complex 3D architecture of cells and tissues in their natural context is crucial for structure-function correlation in biological systems and soft materials. Serial block-face SEM (SBF-SEM) combines in situ sectioning and imaging of plastic-embedded tissue blocks within the SEM vacuum chamber for automated, 3D reconstruction of large tissue volumes. Axial resolution was once limited by the minimum section thickness, but truly isotropic resolution is now possible with the addition of multi-energy deconvolution.

3D SEM

Following in situ sectioning of the block-face using a diamond knife, the freshly exposed tissue is imaged several times using increasing accelerating voltages. These images are subsequently used in a deconvolution algorithm to derive several optical subsurface layers, forming a 3D subset. By repeating this cycle, the Volumescope 2 SEM offers isotropic datasets with 10 nm Z-resolution.

Polymer microstructures

High-resolution imaging in 3D is of great importance when trying to understand the microstructure and properties of polymer materials. The Volumescope 2 SEM combines in situ sectioning and imaging of polymers within the SEM vacuum chamber, in a fully automated fashion, for reconstruction of large volumes with truly isotropic 3D resolution. Visualizing a large volume at such resolutions is critical for revealing how regions with different microstructures affect the overall properties of the material. For example, the Volumescope 2 SEM can recreate a large representative volume of a filtration membrane, providing accurate transport properties that lead to enhanced performance predictions for new filter designs.