Ultrathin carbon support films for high-resolution electron microscopy of nanoparticles.

We introduce a simple preparation method for ultrathin carbon support films that is especially useful for high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) of nanoparticles. Oxidized iron nanoparticles were used as a test sample in a demonstration of this method. The film qualities are discussed on the basis of electron-energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and image analysis techniques such as thickness maps and histograms.