Starch-based bio-adsorbents were successfully observed by SEM, previously prepared through coating a 12 nm gold thin film on the non-conductive bio-based beta-cyclodextrins and maltodextrins. The gold was coated by using the DSR1 SEM coater, a popular Vac Coat ion sputter coater suitable for?electron microscopy sample preparation.

The researchers at the University of Turin in Italy worked on the removal of environmentally hazardous salicylic acid in wastewater and surface waters utilizing cross-linked adsorbents derived from starch, like beta-cyclodextrins and maltodextrins. These hydrophilic granular structures showed more than 90% salicylic acid removal with a maximum adsorption capacity of 17 mg.g^-1?and recycling up to for cycles.

The samples went through SEM for structural analysis to study the morphology of the biopolymers. The samples were coated with a 12 nm gold thin film by Vac Coat DSR1 low-vacuum sputter coater as an SEM preparation step to enhance the conductivity and reduce charge accumulation on the samples’ surface.

Preparation of the samples for electron microscopy is crucial to improve the imaging results. Vac Coat SEM coaters, such as sputter coaters,?carbon coaters, and thermal evaporators are ideal coating devices for coating different conductive layers on electron microscope samples’ surfaces.