Instruments and services

Access to Major Equipment

To use any of the Centre instruments you must be a registered user. To enquire about registering, please see our instructions for registering and booking equipment. Alternatively, the Centre may be able to undertake contract work for you.

• Transmission Electron Microscopes

  The Unit has two transmission electron microscopes available for staff and student use: The FEI F20 CRYO FEGTEM, the FEI T20 TEM . The Unit offers training in the operation of these instruments.

  To learn more about our TEMs please go to: http://www.emu.uct.ac.za/transmission-electron-microscopes

• Scanning Electron Microscopes

  The Unit has two scanning electron microscopes available for staff and student use: The FEI NovaNano SEM and the Tescan MIRA RISE SEM

  To learn more about our SEMs please go to: http://www.emu.uct.ac.za/scanning-electron-microscopes

• RAMAN confocal microscope

  WITEC RAMAN system includes:
  Motorized WITec Confocal Raman Imaging Extension for SEM,
  The Confocal Raman Imaging Extension includes:
  • WITec Confocal Raman Microscope base for SEM systems
  • Motorized WITec multiwavelength laser
  • Motorized and software controlled spectral calibration unit
  Adaptor for coupling to MIRA SEM

  To learn more about our MIRA RISE system, please go to: http://www.emu.uct.ac.za/raman-imaging-and-scanning-electron-microscopy

• Ultramicrotomes

  The Unit has two ultramicrotomes, the Reichert FCS Cryo Ultramicrotome and the Leica EM FC7 cryo-ultramicrotome

Other services

• Preparative Laboratory Instruments

  Preparative instruments housed in the Unit include:

  Centrifuges, Microfuge, Spectrophotometer, Critical Point Dryer, High vacuum coating with freeze fracture, High vacuum coating Polisher, Freeze substitution and a High Pressure Freezer.

  Read more about our Protein Preparation lab.

• Sale of EM Consumables

  The Unit offers a wide range of standard EM preparative consumables for sale to users. There is a price list of the more common items - please ask about other things which you feel we should stock.

• Training on instruments

  At the moment, the Unit offers one-on-one training on the electron microscopes and other major equipment.

• Collaboration and Partnership in research utilizing EM

  The Electron Microscope Unit occasionally undertakes research in collaboration with research partners. The over-ruling criterion for this to happen is that an EM officer should find the work interesting and have some motivation to undertake the work. In these cases the Unit will usually bear much of the cost of instrument usage and EM related consumables from a budget that it has available for this purpose.

• Contract Work

  The Electron Microscope Unit has a limited capacity to undertake contract work for people and organizations inside and outside the University. We welcome enquiries about this service, please phone (021) 650 2817 or (021) 650 2818.