Ultrathin Continuous Carbon Layer

Particle density and distribution has been widely shown to improve on the addition of an ultrathin (2-3 nm) carbon (UTC) layer to a grid^1,2,3. Data quality has improved for both QUANTIFOIL^® 4 Holey Carbon Films and UltrAuFoil^® 5 Gold Supports when a UTC layer is applied.

An additional UTC layer can be added to most QUANTIFOIL^® Holey Carbon Film supports on request. The most popular thickness is 2 nm, but thicker, more stable, 3 and 5 nm layers are also available, and even 10 nm is possible. For an additional UTC on QUANTIFOIL^® Holey Carbon Film supports, please request a quote. Alternatively, if you are interested in adding a UTC layer to UltrAuFoil^® Holey Gold supports, please contact us for further details.

Improvements in specimen quality

Shown in the image is the structure of Photorhabdus luminescens TcdA1, a large multisubunit complex toxin, with activity against insects, whose structure was determined using images collected on QUANTIFOIL^® R 2/1 grids with a 2 nm additional carbon layer⁶. Many biomolecules have a strong affinity for carbon, and a number of factors contribute to a resulting improvement in specimen quality:

Increased numbers of particles due to adsorption of biomolecules onto carbon prior to blotting.

Improved particle distribution due to interaction with carbon surface across the hole.

Reduction in the number of particles adopting a preferred orientation.

Additional Ultrathin Continuous Carbon Layer

Improvements in specimen quality

References