Replica Method (Microscopy)

The replica method is one of the methods of preparing an object for research using a transmission electron microscope . A replica is understood to mean a film transparent to electrons, the structure of which reproduces the surface structure of the object under study. This method is used:

• to study the relief of massive objects that are opaque to electron- forming electrons ;
• for non-conductive samples (the study of such materials in electron microscopes is difficult due to the accumulation of surface charge);
• to study the structure of secretions fixed on the replica.

One of the most important requirements for a replica is that it should not reveal its own structure. To identify the details of the relief with a size of 30 ÷ 50 nm , varnish replicas are used. Carbon films used to study the topography and "capture" of individual particles can be obtained by condensation of carbon in vacuum .

By thickness, replicas are divided into films of constant thickness and non-uniform in thickness. By the method of preparation, films obtained in one or several stages can be distinguished. With a multi-stage cooking method, a matrix is ​​obtained at the first stage by performing a series of procedures for preparing the surface of the object under study, and then a replica is received from this matrix.