Work

Analysis of 4D-STEM methods for detecting metallic nanoparticles in amorphous ice: A numerical study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Metallic nanoparticles play important roles in contrast enhancement and medical therapeutics. Understanding the mechanisms of nanoparticle-cell interactions is critical to the future development and utility of nanoparticles in medicine. Cryo-scanning transmission electron microscopy is suitable for collecting data from beam-sensitive biological systems. Detection of nanoparticles in these biological systems in bright-field cryo-scanning transmission electron microscopy is hindered by the vitrified ice surrounding them. Here, we demonstrate the detection of metallic nanoparticles embedded in slabs of ice with different thicknesses of ice for several electron beam fluxes, using the extended ptychographic iterative engine, non-negative matrix factorisation and virtual dark field imaging algorithms. • Metal ion and metal cluster detection for structural biology • Automated detection of metals in ice via machine leaning • Novel application of 4DSTEM in CryoSTEM • Towards structural understanding of metal ion gradients at sub nanometre resolution

Source: Micron

DOI: 10.1016/j.micron.2025.103956

Authors: Gearóid Mangan, Andrew Stewart

Institutions: University of Limerick, University College London

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications

Subfield: Structural Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,440

Funder: Irish Centre for High-End Computing