Ultramicrotome

Ultramicrotome is an instrument used to cut biological specimens into transparent thin sections for the TEM analysis. Microtomes use glass, or diamond blades depending upon the specimen being sliced and the desired thickness of the sections being cut. Glass knives are used to slice sections of light objects like tissues, microorganisms etc. Diamond knives are used to slice hard materials such as bone, teeth and plant matter for electron microscopy. Samples to be sliced are embedded in resins using a three day procedure. The sample is then cut in the microtome at thicknesses varying from 50 to 300 nm. The thin sections obtained after slicing can be mounted on a microscope slide, stained, and examined using a TEM microscope.