After Café: Studying Biological and Soft Matter Materials in Their Native Hydrated State

Biological materials are ~80 percent water and many materials are designed for use under aqueous and/or hydrated conditions. However, imaging /analyses of these systems are often performed after dehydration or freezing which can significantly alter the chemistry/structure from the native hydrated state. This talk will highlight several techniques available at Penn State that enable sample analysis in aqueous and/or controlled humidity environments with an emphasis on the additional information that can be obtained via these approaches.