The Oxford 1 μm proton microprobe

Abstract

The coupled triplet configuration of the Oxford microprobe system in which spatial resolutions of 1 μm have been achieved is described together with the hardware, data collection and operation of the probe. Using the microprobe in conjunction with the technique of PIXE, two-dimensional elemental maps of mouse macrophages have been constructed and elemental concentrations down to 2×10-17 g/μm2 have been measured. Measurement of the iron content of the mouse cells indicates that the proton probe is capable of detecting an increase in iron within the cell after the cytoskeleton has been labelled by immunocytochemical means. Limitations in the technique of microprobe PIXE with respect to cellular biology are briefly discussed. © 1982.