Advice for New Users

The Electron Microscope Unit’s primary mission is to provide microscopy research support and training for staff and students of UNSW. The EM Unit currently operates fourteen frontline instruments and a large array of specimen preparation equipment. There are also around a dozen staff members to support operation of the Unit. To get the best results it is important you use the microscope best suited to your research and work with the staff member who can best help you.

For the most part, we strongly encourage researchers to perform their microscopy themselves. There are several reasons for this, the most compelling being that you know your specimens better than anyone else and should know what aspects or features of your specimens are of interest. Moreover, acquired skills in microscopy are transferable to a wide range of specimens and will likely make you attractive to future employers etc. EM Unit staff will provide you with the training appropriate to the experiments you wish to perform and will be on hand to provide assistance as required.

In some cases, projects require very high levels of microscopy expertise, particularly in the interpretation of complex data or the exploitation or development of novel methods. In these areas, research collaborations with EM Unit staff may be established following discussion and mutual agreement.

The EM Unit operates many different types of microscope. Each is particularly suitable to certain types of specimen, or for operation over a different magnification range. Some can perform in-situ chemical analysis and others in-situ crystallographic analysis. For example, we have some SEM’s which are optimised for high magnifications (> 10,000 x), and some for lower magnifications. In some cases your supervisor, or a colleague, may suggest use of a particular instrument, or to make contact with a specific staff member. Whilst these suggestions are often helpful, our aim is to help identify the instrument best suited to the needs of your particular project. Before you make contact with a staff member, you should think carefully about the experiments you wish to perform and the information you hope to obtain. The information below will help guide you through this process.

1. Prior to your first meeting with a staff member:

During your first meeting with a staff member you will be asked a series of questions about your specimen and your research project. Some of the questions you will be asked include:

• What type of specimen do you have?
• What research questions are you trying to answer through your use of microscopy?
• What specimen preparation will be required?
• What is the length scale of the features you would like to image – are your features microns in size or nanometers in size?
• Do you want to examine the chemistry / elemental composition of your sample?
• Do you want to determine sample crystallography?
• How will the data you acquire in the EM Unit assist your project?
• Have you consulted the literature?

The above questions are meant to prompt you to think about what information you want to get out of your microscopy experiments before you talk to us. It will also assist us in determining which of our suite of equipment and techniques will best meet your needs.

2. How to find answers to our questions:

• Read the literature:

It is important to keep in mind that you know your specimen better than we do. Although we support 400 or more projects each year and our staff are very experienced, ultimately it is you who should be the expert in understanding your specimen. There is a strong probability that there is research published in the literature which describes (microscopy) experiments similar to those you wish to perform. It is strongly recommended you source this information with particular attention to the type of analysis performed and the methodologies used for specimen preparation. New users of the unit engage in a meeting with a Unit staff member ahead of using the microscopes. It is good idea to bring relevant literature along to this meeting. The staff member will probably understand the techniques described in the paper and will be able to judge how suitable they are for your materials.

• Consider specimen preparation:

Specimen preparation is extremely important. If you do not prepare specimens properly you may destroy or modify the features of the specimen which you need to observe. Alternatively, you may introduce artifacts into the specimen which mask its true structure. You need to be aware that many EM methods involve a) drying your specimen, b) putting your specimen under vacuum c) making your specimen electrically conductive. You need to consider the effects of these processes on the integrity of your specimens. This is especially important if your specimen is biomedical in nature. You should also note that some specimen preparation procedures are lengthy and you should plan to perform these procedures well before your microscope session.

• Plan ahead:

Some microscopes are heavily booked, sometimes weeks in advance. This is especially true around September/October when many Honours students are trying to finish their thesis work. You need to factor microscope time, including the time required to prepare specimens, into your project planning. It is better to make contact with EM Unit staff well before you need access to the instruments, rather than leaving this to the last minute.

3. When you’re ready to make contact:

To assist you to identify the appropriate staff member to make initial contact with, the following advice is offered:

• Regardless of the type of microscopy you wish to undertake, if your specimen is biological / medical / cellular in nature or origin– you must first contact Jenny Norman to ensure the appropriate Animal or Human Ethics requirements have been met.
• If your specimen is polymeric or inorganic in nature and you need to use a TEM, AFM or FIB – you should contact Katie Levick or Sean Lim.
• If your specimen is polymeric or inorganic in nature and you need to use an SEM – you should contact Karen Privat or Cristin Quinnell.

There are, of course, other techniques and methods not listed here. In this regard, the Unit’s facilities page, where staff contacts are also listed, may be a helpful source of further information for you.

4. If you’re still not sure how to proceed:

If you believe you need further guidance you might need to discuss your experiments further with your supervisor. Alternatively, you and your supervisor are welcome to arrange an appointment to discuss your project with the Unit Director or Deputy Director.