Quantifoil in the lab
Thanks so much! We use quantifoil grids for both our cryoEM and our in situ cryoET. They are an essential part of our workflow!
Market-leading cryo-electron microscopy support grids
With more than 20 film geometries available on a full range of TEM grid materials and designs, our range of support foils provides high performance and flexibility for diverse cryo-EM research needs.
HexAuFoil®
Ultra-small hole gold supports
Improve every image with these revolutionary new small hole, holey-gold supports that enable zero-dose reconstructions for the first time by delivering movement-free imaging. Our most advanced cryo-EM support to maximise efficiency for high-resolution structure determination in drug discovery and basic research. The first pre-production batches are now available to order.
UltrAuFoil®
Ultra-stable gold supports for cryo-electron microscopy
Developed in collaboration with leading scientists, UltrAuFoil Holey Gold sample supports simplify structure determination even for challenging and small molecules. During imaging at cryogenic temperatures, traditional carbon supports move, particularly at the beginning of irradiation. This movement blurs images and reduces data quality. UltrAuFoil Holey Gold supports are more conductive, with no differential contraction between the grid and the foil on plunge freezing. This technical improvement minimizes any crinkling of the foil during sample preparation, substantially increasing data quality and efficiency.
Structure of Thermotoga maritima β-galactosidase solved using data collected on UltrAuFoil R 1.2/1.3 (Amil et al, ACS Chem Biol 15: 179-188, 2020). With thanks to Rafael Fernandez-Leiro, CNIO, Spain.
SiO2 Films
Resilient and extensively functionalizable
Extensively functionalizable, our silicon dioxide films offer a glass-like surface ideal for cell-growth. They are resilient enough to withstand the additional manual handling involved with on-grid cell growth, tomography, CLEM and cryo‑FIB.
QUANTIFOIL®
QUANTIFOIL® Holey Carbon Supports for Cryo-EM
QUANTIFOIL Holey Carbon supports are a flat film of carbon, 10-12 nm thick, on a cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) grid, providing a low-background sample support for high-resolution cryo-EM data collection. Researchers can choose the optimum grid for any project from a comprehensive selection 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.
With thanks to Prof. Sai Li, Tsinghua University, tomogram of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus from data collected using Quantifoil Carbon R 2/2 on Cu 300 mesh. As seen in Yao et al, Cell 183: 730-738 (2020).
Additional UltraThin Carbon Layer (UTC)
Improvements in specimen quality
An ultrathin (2-3 nm) carbon layer further enhances particle distribution and data quality when applied to both QUANTIFOIL Holey Carbon Films and UltrAuFoil Gold Supports.
Particle density is improved due to the ready adsorption of many biomolecules onto the carbon surface prior to blotting. This additional layer may also reduce the adoption of a preferred orientation. Researchers also benefit from improved particle distribution as particles can adsorb onto the carbon across the entire hole.
Most QUANTIFOIL Holey Carbon Film supports can be supplied with an additional carbon layer on request.
Structure of Helicobacter pylori outer membrane complex from data collected on Quantifoil Carbon R 2/2 on Cu 200 mesh with a 2 nm UTC. As described in Sheedlo et al, eLife 9: e59495 (2020).
QUANTIFOIL® Active
Self-wicking grids for use exclusively with chameleon
QUANTIFOIL®️ Active grids are unique in being the first commercially produced grids with copper nano-wire covered bars to promote thin film formation through a process of “self-wicking”. This novel grid technology removes the variability of applying an externally applied filter paper to remove excess sample during blotting.