QUANTIFOIL® Holey Carbon Supports for Cryo-EM

QUANTIFOIL® Grids

QUANTIFOIL® Holey Carbon supports are a flat film of carbon, 10-12 nm thick, on a cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) grid. They provide a low-background sample support ideal for high-resolution cryo-EM data collection. The optimum grid for your project can be selected from a wide variety of hole shapes, sizes and spacings in combination with a range of base grid materials and mesh sizes. Grid options include standard square meshes as well as other arrangements and finder grid formats.

Quantifoil in peer-reviewed publications

Methods and review publications describing best practice in the field include:

Passmore and Russo. Specimen preparation for high-resolution cryo-EM. Methods Enzymol. 579: 510-86 (2016)

Drulyte et al. Approaches to altering particle distributions in cryo-electron microscopy sample preparation. Acta Cryst D74: 560-571 (2018)

Koh et al. Routine Collection of High-Resolution cryo-EM Datasets Using 200 KV Transmission Electron Microscope. J Vis Exp 181 (2022)

CryoEM structures recently published in high impact journals include:

Arseni et al. TDP-43 forms amyloid filaments with a distinct fold in type A FTLD-TDP. Nature 620: 898-902 (2023)

Baggen et al. TMEM106B is a receptor mediating ACE2-independent SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. Cell 186:3427-3442 (2023)

Highly-cited articles from the first development of hihg-resolution cryoEM for biological specimens include:

Li et al. Electron counting and beam-induced motion correction enable near-atomic-resolution single-particle cryo-EM. Nat Methods. 10: 5840590 (2013)

Chen et al. High-resolution noise substitution to measure overfitting and validate resolution in 3D structure determination by single particle electron cryomicroscopy. Ultramicroscopy 135: 24-35 (2013)

 

QUANTIFOIL© Holey Carbon supports have been cited in approximately 6,000 peer-reviewed publications to date. 

Download the complete list

QUANTIFOIL® Grid categories

Circular

Ideal for high-resolution studies of biological macromolecules and other materials, round holes optimize the formation of a thin, even layer of ice to support a sample of interest. Select from our wide range of geometries depending on the characteristics of your sample and your imaging modality.

Explore circular holes
QUANTIFOIL-circular
S7-2-2-small

Square

Often used for applications where larger carbon-free areas are desired, square grids have less carbon support. They can be used with an additional thin carbon layer where samples need continuous support.

Explore square holes

Multi A

With a repeating pattern of hole size, shape and spacing, Multi A foils are useful for particles of unpredictable size, for example liposomes, while the oval shape can aid in tomographic data collection.

Explore Multi A holes
QUANTIFOIL-multiA