Rastrovací elektronová mikroskopie mokrých vzorků syntetických polymerů

Abstract

Synthetic polymers with high content of water (wet synthetic polymers,hydrogels) are frequently used in tissue engineering. Investigation of their 3D-structure by means of scanning electron microscopy is very difficult: in a standard electron microscope water almost immediately evaporates and the structure breaks down. Nevertheless, hydrogels morphology can be visualised by means of low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy in cryo conditions (cryoLVSEM) and by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). The two techniques are described and compared