TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

Eugene L. Codis
What is Transmission Electron Microscopy?
Transmission Electron Microscopy
– Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a microscopy technique in which a beam of electrons is
transmitted through a specimen to form an image. The specimen is most often an ultrathin section
less than 100 nm thick or a suspension on a grid.

– An image is formed from the interaction of the electrons with the sample as the beam is transmitted
through the specimen. The image is then magnified and focused onto an imaging device, such as a
fluorescent screen, a layer of photographic film, or a sensor such as a scintillator attached to a
charge-coupled device.

– Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a technique used to observe the features of very
small specimens. The technology uses an accelerated beam of electrons, which passes through a
very thin specimen to enable a scientist the observe features such as structure and morphology.
Principles of Transmission Electron Microscopy
• The TEM operates on the same basic principles as the light microscope but uses electrons
instead of light. When an electron instead of light. When an electron passes through thin-
section specimen of material, electrons are scattered. A sophisticated system of
electromagnetic lenses focuses the scattered electrons into an image or a diffraction pattern,
or a nano-analytical spectrum, depending on the mode of operation.
• TEMs employ a high voltage electron beam in order to create an image. An electron gun at
the top of a TEM emits electrons that travel through the microscope’s vacuum tube. Rather
than having a glass lens focusing the light (as in the case of light microscopes), the TEM
employs an electromagnetic lens which focuses the electrons into a very fine beam. This
beam then passes through the specimen, which is very thin, and the electrons either scatter
or hit a fluorescent screen at the bottom of the microscope. An image of the specimen with its
assorted parts shown in different shades according to its density appears on the screen. This
image can be then studied directly within the TEM or photographed. Figure 1 shows a
diagram of a TEM and its basic parts.
Application of TEM in Cell and Molecular Biology
• A Transmission Electron Microscope is ideal for a number of different fields such as life
sciences, nanotechnology, medical, biological and material research, forensic analysis,
gemology and metallurgy as well as industry and education.
• TEMs provide topographical, morphological, compositional and crystalline information. The
images allow researchers to view samples on a molecular level, making it possible to
analyze structure and texture. This information is useful in the study of crystals and metals,
but also has industrial applications.
• TEM has proven valuable in the analysis of nearly every cellular component, including the
cytoskeleton, membrane systems, organelles, and cilia, as well as specialized structures in
differentiated cells, such as microvilli and the synaptonemal complex.
• There is simply no way to visualize the complexity of cells and see cellular structures without
TEM. Despite its power, the use of TEM does have limitations. Among the limitations are the
relatively small data set of cells that can be imaged in detail, the obligate use of fixed—
therefore deceased—cells, and the ever-present potential for fixation and staining artifacts.
However, many of these artifacts are well known and have been catalogued.
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