Preparation of Thin Sections: (Cryo)ultramicrotomy and (Cryo)microtomy

Abstract

Microtomy and ultramicrotomy are standard methods used for the preparation of ultrathin or semi-thin sections and flat surfaces of plastics, biological and biomedical objects. Brief discussions of the instrumentation required for these techniques, of working with amicrotome and ultramicrotome, of specimen preparation (embedding, trimming, fixation), of sectioning (wet and dry sectioning, sectioning at room or cryo temperatures) and of modern trends in this specific field are presented in this chapter. In particular, the handling of the devices in practice and the influence of the sectioning parameters are described and illustrated using many examples from polymer research. In the final section, typical errors encountered during the different working steps and solutions to them are discussed in detail.