MVLscope / Sample preparation

BEFORE THE MICROSCOPE

Prepare the specimen.
Preserve the evidence.

What you do before imaging shapes what you can learn from it. Start with the principle, then follow a specimen through a virtual preparation workflow.

01 / UNDERSTAND · 15–20 MIN

Before the Image

Is that pore real? Explore how sectioning, particle loss and smearing change the evidence in a linked 3D specimen and image.

Two apparent cavities in a constructed metal section; their preparation histories may differ.Explore the principles →

02 / WORK THROUGH IT · 20–30 MIN

Materials Preparation

From sample to micrograph: select a region, support the specimen, prepare the surface, inspect between stages and choose an examination.

  1. Select
  2. Support
  3. Prepare
  4. Inspect
  5. Examine

Follow one virtual metal specimen. Compare preparation histories and keep an inspection notebook.

Enter the preparation lab →

CHOOSE WHAT YOU NEED TO PRESERVE

Continue into an instrument-specific workflow.

Each workbench follows one constructed specimen through decisions that change what you can conclude. Start with the question, keep checkpoints and compare another virtual specimen.

SEM PREPARATION

A surface ready for SEM

Prepare one metal or insulating mineral fragment for a surface question or elemental question. Follow the face of interest onto a stub, trace a possible charge path, and record what a coating adds to the evidence.

  1. Question
  2. Mount
  3. Contact
  4. Surface
  5. Evidence
Enter the workflow →

TEM / FIB PREPARATION

Make a window for electrons

Follow one buried target from a solid into a supported thin lamella. Keep track of what survives, what overlaps, and what preparation may have changed.

  1. Locate
  2. Protect
  3. Access
  4. Lift & support
  5. Thin & clean
  6. Inspect
Enter the workflow →

BIOLOGICAL / LFM PREPARATION

Prepare cells for light & fluorescence microscopy

Follow one synthetic cell culture through an intracellular immunofluorescence workflow. Every committed operation stays in its history; compare a new replicate when a different route is needed.

  1. Biological question
  2. Preservation
  3. Label access
  4. Staining & controls
  5. Mounting
  6. Interpret the evidence
Enter the workflow →

A preparation choice starts with a question.

Choose a workflow for the information you need: a materials cross-section, a surface for SEM, a target in a TEM lamella, or labelled biological structure. Each has distinct limits. No single preparation route suits every specimen.

Choosing a microscopy method →

BUILD & DISCOVER

What if you built the microscope?

Place an objective, choose a camera and make your first image. Compare how the same specimen changes with your design.

Open Microscope Maker →