Carbonaceous contaminants on support films for transmission electron microscopy Original Research Article

Evaporated carbon support films for transmission electron microscopy often contain carbonaceous contaminants. These include poorly graphitized carbon, fragments of graphite, and fullerene-like structures such as nanotubes and nanoparticles. In some cases, carbyne crystals may also be present. There are many examples in the carbon literature where these contaminants have been mistaken for sample material. This paper describes the kinds of contaminants observed on grids obtained from a number of commercial suppliers.