Control of ice thickness in cryo-EM via confinement.

Graphene reservoirs enable precise, reproducible control of ice thickness in cryo-EM, achieving uniformity over large areas and improving imaging quality.

• Why it matters: Controlling ice thickness is essential for high-resolution cryo-EM but remains a significant challenge due to liquid film instability and limitations of traditional methods.
• What they did: The study used well-designed graphene reservoirs to confine liquid films, modulating reservoir depth to achieve optimal ice thickness and overcome instability issues, with large-area uniformity.
• The result: This approach produces uniform, tunable ice layers that enhance cryo-EM imaging by increasing contrast, reducing motion, and improving particle orientation, enabling more robust high-resolution reconstructions.