DiATOME Cryo knives
Diatome cryo knives are the perfect solution for the sectioning of sucrose protected
samples, frozen hydrated samples (Refs. Al-Amoudi, Richter, Zhang), as well as for industrial
samples such as polymers, rubber, etc.
The triangular holder, suitable for dry sectioning, as well as the boat, for sectioning
using fluids, (DMSO/water) are both made from a special copper-nickel alloy, providing
the best possible heat/cold conduction characteristics.
A cold-resistant epoxy resin is used for the seal between the diamond and the boat.
Diatome cryo diamond knives produce thinner sections, enable perfect cryosections from
ultrathin to semithin with the same knife and provide minimal compression and best
structure preservation.
DiATOME cryo 25°
The Diatome cryo 25° knife is designed for sectioning frozen hydrated specimens. The 25° angle results in the least possible compression and the best structure preservation.
DiATOME cryo immuno
The first cryo knife with a diamond platform, guarantees the best possible sectioning conditions for cryo-immuno-chemistry.
The diamond platform guarantees easy and gentle section collection. Sections are collected directly from the diamond surface using the Diatome perfect loop and a sucrose/methylcellulose droplet (Refs. Liou, Peters).
The 35° cutting angle leads to a considerable reduction in mechanical stresses, therefore improving structure preservation in sucrose-protected samples.
DiATOME cryo 35º and cryo 45º DiATOME cryo 35º and cryo 45º
The Diatome cryo 35° knife has demonstrated its usefulness as a standard knife for the low
temperature sectioning of polymers, rubber, paints, etc. The 35° angle represents a balanced compromise between section quality and durability.
The Diatome cryo 45° knife is well suited for routine cryo sectioning.
DiATOME trim 20º and trim 45º
For successful ultramicrotomy in biology and materials science, precise trimming is mandatory.
The Diatome trimming blades Diatome trim 45 and Diatome trim 20 will fulfill all your trimming requirements, allowing quick, easy and accurate trimming. Preparation of survey sections is also possible using the Diatome trimming blades.
Due to the extreme sharpness of our diamond blades, less mechanical damage is applied to the sample during trimming and produce very shiny sample faces and precise pyramid sides.
The Diatome trim 45 produces pyramidal sides with an inclined angle of 45° and the Diatome trim 20 produces pyramidal sides with an inclined angle of 20°.
Specifications:
DiATOME cryo 25°
Cutting range: 25 – 200nm
Available size: 3mm
DiATOME cryo immuno
Knife angle: 35°
Cutting range: 30nm – 1μm
Available sizes: 2mm, 3mm
DiATOME cryo 35° and Diatome cryo 45°
Cutting range: 30nm – 1μm
Available sizes: 1.5mm, 2.0mm, 2.5mm, 3.0mm, 3.5mm, 4.0mm
DiATOME trim 20° and Diatome trim 45°
Knife angle: 45°
References
A. Al-Amoudi, D. Studer and J. Dubochet:
Cutting artefacts and cutting process in vitreous sections for cryo-electron microscopy.
Journal of Structural Biology 150, pp. 109-121, 2005.
W. Liou, H.J. Geuze, J.W. Slot: Improving structural integrity of cryosections for immunogold labeling.
Histochemistry and Cell Biology, Vol. 106, pp. 41-55, 1996.
M. Michel, H. Gnägi und M. Müller:
Diamonds are a cryosectioners best friend.
Journal of Microscopy, Vol. 166, Pt 1, pp. 43-56, 1992.
P.J. Peters, E. Bos: Cryo-Immunogold Electron Microscopy.
Current Protocols in Cell Biology, pp. 4.7.1-4.7.18, 2006.
Copyright © 2006 by John Wiley & Sons Inc.
K. Richter: Cutting artefacts on ultrathin cryosections of biological bulk specimens.
Micron, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 297-308, 1994.
P. Zhang, E. Bos, J. Heymann, H. Gnaegi,
M. Kessel, P.J. Peters, S. Subramaniam:
Direct visualisation of receptor arrays in frozen-hydrated sections and plungefrozen specimens of E.coli engineered to overproduce the chemotaxis receptor Tsr. Journal of Microscopy, Vol. 216, Pt 1, pp. 76-83, 2004.