December Winners
Category: SEM
African trypanosome
Courtesy of Prof. David Pérez-Morga
False-colored SEM image of the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (15 micrometers long) responsible for human sleeping sickness in Western and Central Africa. Human innate immunity is overpowered by this parasite through a mechanism that we have discovered in our laboratory. We have dedicated the past two decades to study the molecular arms race between humans and trypanosomes and discovered the importance of resistance to these parasites in human evolution. Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology and Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium (Daniel Monteyne, Etienne Pays and David Pérez-Morga).
Image Details
Magnification: 20,752 x
Sample: Trypanosoma
Detector: ETD
Voltage: 20 kV
Horizontal Field Width: 10.79 µm
WorkingDistance: 7 mm
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
Liposome balls
Courtesy of Mr. Durga Prasad Muvva
Liposomes TEM imaging at room temperature .
Image Details
Magnification: 9900
Voltage: 200 k V
Horizontal Field Width: 2.00um
WorkingDistance: 3
Spot: 3
Taken by Tecnai
Category: DualBeam
Cells in a basket
Courtesy of Dr. Claudia Lopez
The iSP cells were grown on Matrigel ® by Dr. Koei Chin (OHSU). These cells present tumorigenic phenotype by expressing constitutively active form of Her2 oncogene. They were provided by Dr. William Muller (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec). The SEM image was recorded on a FEI Helios 660 Nanolab™ using BSE mode (Magnification: 8000x). Each cell in the image shows a variety of protrusions: lamellipodia and filopodia.
Image Details
Magnification: 8,000
Sample: Cells on Matrigel
Detector: CBS
Voltage: 3 kV
Horizontal Field Width: 51.8
WorkingDistance: 4
Taken by Helios NanoLab
November Winners
Category: SEM
ZnO
Courtesy of Mrs. Seydanur Kaya
It is Er doped ZnO compound. It was produced by sol-gel method. ZnO is a wide-bandgap semiconductor. As can be seen from the figure, it has hexagonal structure. ZnO has several favorable properties, including good transparency, high electron mobility, wide bandgap strong room-temperature luminescence that used in various applications. And the properties that mentioned above can be improved by adding some kind of dopings Because of these reasons we have tried to produced Er doped ZnO in nanoscale.
Image Details
Magnification: 20,000x
Sample: Metal
Detector: SE
Voltage: 10kV
Vacuum: 2,50-e4Pa
Horizontal Field Width: 10,5μm
WorkingDistance: 10,4
Spot: 2,5
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
Mosquito skin surface
Courtesy of Mr. Durga Prasad Muvva
Transmission electron microscope of mosquito skin surface showing air follicles.
Image Details
Magnification: 1k
Voltage: 200 V
Horizontal Field Width: 2.00um
WorkingDistance: 3
Spot: 3
Taken by Tecnai
Category: DualBeam
A visual journey into the unexplored realm of rocks: three-dimensional reconstructed image of the pyrite structures within Marcellus Shale rock matrix
Courtesy of Mr. Jan Goral
3D model has been reconstructed from approximately 2,000 (10 nm thick) FIB-SEM (S-n-V) images using Avizo 9.0 software.
Image Details
Taken by DualBeam
October Winners
Category: SEM
Tartaric acid
Courtesy of Mr. Bertrand Schmitt
Tartaric acid crystals growth
Image Details
Magnification: 1000
Sample: gold coated
Detector: SE
Voltage: 5 kV
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
Tube
Courtesy of Ms. Elzbieta Pach
Multiwalled carbon nanotube filled with crystalline material.
Image Details
Magnification: 1.8 Mx
Voltage: 300 kV
Horizontal Field Width: 49.7 nm
Taken by Krios
Category: DualBeam
Volcanos Hill
Courtesy of Prof. Andrea Di Giulio
The image illustrates the peculiar eggshell surface of a fly, Microdon mutabilis, which parasitize host ants of the genus Formica.
Image Details
Magnification: 1,200x
Sample: Dried Insect
Detector: ETD
Voltage: 5 kV
Vacuum: 3 mbar
Horizontal Field Width: 249μm
WorkingDistance: 4,0
Spot: 0.17 nA
Taken by Helios NanoLab
September Winners

Category: SEM
Nanocandy (ZIF-8 MOF)
Courtesy of Mr. Marcos Rosado
ZIF-8 is an iconic Metal Organic Framework that shows an extended 3D porous structure, and built up from the connection of Zn2+ ions through 2-metyl imidazole ligands. ZIF-8 has a characteristic crystal morphology; dodecahedron, as seen in the image. The physical and chemical properties of ZIF-8 convert it in a very attractive material for extensive applications, such as gas adsorption and storage, catalysis, biomedical imaging, controlled release, chemical sensors, and optics. The image has been acquired with a FEI Magellan XHR SEM at very low voltage to avoid charging artifacts and beam damage (ZIF-8 is highly insulating and beam sensitive). The sample has been synthesized by Abraham Ayala from the Institut Català de Nanociència I Nanotecnologia (ICN2).
Image Details
Magnification: 7000x
Sample: ZIF-8 MOF
Detector: vCD
Voltage: 1kV (4kV Beam Deceleration)
Vacuum: ~10E-5 Pa
Horizontal Field Width: 42.6 μm
WorkingDistance: 4 mm
Spot: 100 pA
Category: TEM
gold nanoparticle
Courtesy of Mr. Michał Rawski
Gold nanoparticle, used as a marker in electron tomography.
Image Details
Magnification: 1200000x
Taken by Krios
Category: DualBeam
Lamella preparation
Courtesy of Dr. Maria Carbajo
Preparation of a lamella by focused ion beam (FIB) milling, for later viewing with TEM. The material is a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) chip with micro-structure-surface passivation film
Image Details
Magnification: 7000x
Sample: semiconductor integrated circuit
Detector: SE
Voltage: 15kV
Horizontal Field Width: 45 μm
WorkingDistance: 8.3mm
Spot: 5.5
Taken by Quanta 3D
August Winners
Category: SEM
Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae)
Courtesy of Dr. Riccardo Antonelli
Rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae): detail of the rostrum.
Image Details
Magnification: 1,200x
Detector: ETD
Voltage: 7.50 kV
Vacuum: High Vacuum
Horizontal Field Width: 249 μm
WorkingDistance: 6.3 mm
Spot: 4.0
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
ox_CNT
Courtesy of Mr. Michał Rawski
Oxidized carbon nano tubes treated with UV
Image Details
Magnification: 380000x
Sample: carbon nano tubes
Voltage: 300kV
Taken by Krios
July Winners
Category: SEM
Fern bud
Courtesy of Dr. Wann-neng Jane
Flower of Ixeris chinensis in pollination. The image was gotten by cryo SEM.
Image Details
Magnification: 500x
Sample: Flower of Ixeris chinensis
Detector: SE
Voltage: 20kV
Vacuum: High vaccum
WorkingDistance: 10.7
Spot: 3.0
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
Baculovirus
Courtesy of Dr. Tommi White
Baculovirus viral occlusion body, containing a crystalline protein matrix. This specimen was prepared with traditional chemical fixation & resin-embedding, then imaged on an FEI Tecnai G2 F30 Twin at 200 kV.
Image Details
Magnification: 39000.0
Sample: Baculovirus viral occlusion body
Detector: Brightfield
Voltage: 200 kV
Spot: 6
Taken by Tecnai
Category: DualBeam
Chopped woodpile
Courtesy of Dr. Thomas Loeber
Rough cut into structured IP photoresist. Structure was written with the 3D laser lithography system Nanoscribe. The "woodpile" was milled for an inside analysis.
Image Details
Magnification: 3,500
Sample: IP photoresist
Detector: SE
Voltage: 2 kV
Horizontal Field Width: 59,2
WorkingDistance: 3,7
Taken by Helios NanoLab
June Winners
Category: SEM
Unexpected Beauty
Courtesy of Mr. FRANCISCO RANGEL
It's a contamination of iron oxide involving the tungsten filament of an automotive light bulb.
Image Details
Magnification: 3963x
Sample: Iron Oxide.
Detector: Mix: SE plus BSE.
Voltage: 20 kV
Vacuum: 9.27e-7 mbar
Horizontal Field Width: 75.3 μm
WorkingDistance: 10.8
Spot: 2.0
Taken by Quanta SEM
Category: TEM
Mosaic of planes
Courtesy of Dr. Maria Carbajo
Nanoparticles of titanium dioxide used as a catalyst in processes of photocatalysis. Planes can be observed.
Image Details
Magnification: 900000x
Sample: Titanium dioxide
Detector: CCD
Voltage: 200kV
Horizontal Field Width: 58nm
Spot: 2
Taken by Tecnai
Category: DualBeam
ZnO nanorods - "nanopencils"
Courtesy of Dr. Cornel Munteanu
hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanorods - "nano pencils"
Image Details
Magnification: 40000
Detector: SE-ETD
Voltage: 20
Horizontal Field Width: 3.73
WorkingDistance: 10
Spot: 4.5
Taken by Quanta SEM
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