• Easy manipulation and mounting of samples from 700 μm to less than 10 μm.
• Aperture can be easily matched to the sample size, to minimize excess surrounding liquid.
• Curved tips give a convenient scoop-like action for retrieving samples and transfering them between solutions, reducing the chance of sample loss or damage.
• Rigid yet thin construction yields minimal bending in viscous solutions and in cold gas streams.
• Excellent tip visibility at large inclination angles (important when retrieving samples from small wells) due to beveling of the supporting rod. Rods can be cut using cutters or bent using pliers.
• Wicking aperture naturally draws excess liquid away from the sample, reducing X-ray background scatter and sample stresses during flash cooling.
• Lowest background X-ray scatter of any commercial mount (roughly 1/3 that of mylar mounts).
• Precise dimensions for easy sample alignment. Tips are attached to the steel rods with better than 50 μm accuracy.

MicroMounts™ consist of thin polymer tips attached to beveled non-magnetic 0.025″ (0.64 mm) diameter stainless steel rods (pins). Their patented design provides an excellent combination of X-ray and optical transparency, mechanical rigidity and flexibility, and precision dimensions.

The polymer is unoriented, so the background scatter does not show the sharp peaks of competing mounts, and has the lowest possible birefringence.

Curving the tip by wrapping its base around the rod makes it rigid, and provides a scoop-like action in retrieving samples. The tip can also flex and bend flat against e.g., a well or glass slide, to dislodge and then slip under a sample.

A wicking aperture draws excess liquid away from the sample, reducing background scatter and allowing faster sample cooling for cryocrystallography.

Since 2008, MicroMounts™ (and all of our other products) have been made using the most mechanically robust unoriented polymer available. With proper care – especially during cleaning – each MicroMount™ can be used to harvest and measure dozens of crystals.

Extremely easy to use, novices can be mounting samples in minutes. MicroMounts™ make your crystallography pipeline more efficient by maximizing the odds of successful mounting, cooling and data collection.

Dual-Thickness MicroMounts™ have aperture sizes of 10, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 μm.

These are available in single size boxes of 20 MicroMounts™ and 2 different assortments:

A1: 20 pins, 5 each of 10, 20, 30, and 50 μm aperture.
A2: 20 pins, 5 each of 75, 100, 150, and 200 μm aperture.

MicroMounts™ are built on 18 mm / SPINE length rods (pins), which are now standard at nearly all synchrotron beam lines in the world. Other pin lengths are also available: (11mm, 19mm, and 25mm)

We strongly recommend using heavy-duty, serrated-tip tweezers to handle MicroMounts™.

MicroMounts™ are compatible with all standard X-ray hardware and can be inserted in 0.7 mm mechanical pencils or micromanipulators for easy handling.

Cleaning for reuse

Technotes

Impact of Crystal mounting method

Use the Mount Selection Guide to find the right choice for your needs.

For pin lengths other than 18 mm visit our Non-Standard Pin Length page

Angled Tip Options are also available.