Abstract: A TEM specimen kit is disclosed, which comprises: (a) a top substrate and a bottom substrate, the top and the bottom substrates being transparent and substantially parallel to each other; (b) a first spacer and a second spacer, located beneath the top substrate and sitting on the bottom substrate, the second spacer being opposite to and spaced apart from the first spacer at a distance of d; and (c) a chamber formed between the top and bottom substrate and between the first and second spacer, the chamber having two ends open to the atmosphere and characterized by having a height defined by the thickness h of the spacer, wherein the height being smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell. Also enclosed are methods for preparing a dry specimen for TEM nanoparticle characterization, and methods for analyzing TEM images of nanoparticles in a liquid sample.

Abstract: A specimen kit having a tiny chamber is disclosed for a specimen preparation for TEM. The space height of the chamber is far smaller than dimensions of blood cells and therefore is adapted to sort nanoparticles from the blood cells. The specimen prepared under this invention is suitable for TEM observation over a true distribution status of nanoparticles in blood. The extremely tiny space height in Z direction eliminates the possibility of aggregation of the nanoparticles and/or agglomeration in Z direction during drying; therefore, a specimen prepared under this invention is suitable for TEM observation over the dispersion and/or agglomeration of nanoparticles in a blood.