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Figure 1
Temperature and stress during plunge-cooling of cryo-EM samples. (a) The grid cools more slowly than the foil and sample near the middle of the grid openings, so a large temperature difference between the grid and foil may transiently occur. (b) The transient temperature difference produces a transient tensile stress in the foil, the dimensions of which are constrained by those of the grid. The sample vitrifies and becomes strongly coupled to the foil only at Tg, when the foil is under tensile stress. As the grid bars cool, the temperature difference between the grid bars and foil decreases and the tensile stress in the foil is released, the sample is placed under compressive stress. The grid and foil are here assumed to be of the same material.

IUCrJ
Volume 7| Part 3| May 2020| Pages 416-421
ISSN: 2052-2525
https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252520002560