Superresolution microscopy

New microscope technology energizes undergraduate research

March 14, 2022

Demonstration of Zeiss microscope

Chemistry senior Nadia Berndt prepares scans for her investigation of charge dynamics in clay encapsulated 2D materials. Photo: Michael Barnes

The College of Chemistry has received a new state-of-the-art EVO LS 15 scanning electron microscope (SEM) provided by ZEISS in support of the instructional physical chemistry labs....

Probe reveals nanometer-scale chemical environment of cell membranes

August 27, 2019

Nanoscopic mapping of lipid order in cell membranes with NR4A.

When scientists use superresolution microscopy methods on cells, they usually get just structural information like the sizes and shapes of cellular compartments. By using a new derivative of a conventional dye, researchers can now get specific nanoscale information about the chemical environment of cell plasma membranes. Such information could tell scientists about the order and disorder of the cell membranes, including about highly ordered “lipid rafts.”

Shine On: Avalanching Nanoparticles Break Barriers to Imaging Cells in Real Time

January 13, 2021

Experimental images of thulium-doped avalanching nanoparticles

From left: Experimental images of thulium-doped avalanching nanoparticles separated by 300 nanometers; at right, simulations of the same material. (Credit: Berkeley Lab and Columbia University)

Since the earliest microscopes, scientists have been on a quest to build...