Hitachi-High-Technologies Corporation

Masamichi Shiono

Mami Konomi

Masako Nishimura

Susumu Kuwabata

Disclosed is a method for enabling flexibility of the exoskeletons or joints of aquatic organisms immersed in an ion liquid water solution to be maintained without destroying their original forms by reducing the difference in osmotic pressure between the inside and outside of the aquatic organisms, preventing dehydration of biological samples. First, the aquatic organism is put into a low-concentration ionic liquid to increase continuously the concentration of the ionic liquid, enabling the water content of the aquatic organism to be substituted by a high-concentration ionic liquid in their original forms. The use of the increasing method that gentle increase in temperature of the ionic liquid by means of natural seasoning reduces the osmotic pressure difference between the inside and outside of the aquatic organism, increasing the concentration of the ionic liquid inside of the aquatic organism.

Methods for observing samples and preprocessing thereof

A micro sample floating on the surface of an ionic liquid is observed by scanning electron microscopy without the sample being covered with the ionic liquid. A floating or hydrophobic sample is floated on the surface of a hydrophilic ionic liquid aqueous solution to prevent the micro sample from being covered with the ionic liquid. A hydrophobic ionic liquid is used for hydrophilic samples. With the use of an ionic liquid aqueous solution of low viscosity and large flowability, the micro sample is allowed to freely aggregate, disperse, and align on the surface of the ionic liquid, and to refloat even when settled in the ionic liquid. For easy observation with a scanning electron microscope, the ionic liquid aqueous solution is dried to lower the flowability of the ionic liquid aqueous solution, after the form of the micro sample has stabilized and before electron microscope observation.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Masamichi Shiono