Quantifoil Alternative for Cryo-EM
Quantifoil has been a mainstay in cryo-EM for many years and remains the most widely used support film.
But is it your only option? ANTcryo offers a complementary alternative: an amorphous nickel-titanium alloy film with distinct material properties that address some of cryo-EM's most persistent challenges — plus dramatically faster delivery when you need grids on a timeline Quantifoil cannot meet.
Why Consider a Complementary Grid?
Every cryo-EM support film material has inherent physical properties that affect your experiment. Carbon films — used in Quantifoil grids — have well-known characteristics that work beautifully for many samples. For others, these same characteristics create obstacles:
Protein Adsorption
Carbon films strongly adsorb proteins at the air–water interface, which can cause denaturation, aggregation, and preferred orientation — especially problematic for membrane proteins and fragile complexes.
Beam-Induced Motion
Carbon is a relatively poor electrical conductor. Electron charging leads to beam-induced motion (BIM), degrading high-resolution information and requiring more exposures to achieve target resolution.
Supply Chain Risk
Quantifoil lead times of 6-8 months are a growing operational concern. A single backorder can shut down data collection. Having a reliable alternative on your shelf is prudent lab management.
ANTcryo addresses all three. The amorphous NiTi alloy surface is fundamentally different from carbon — not better in every scenario, but better suited to specific challenges that many labs face daily.
Meet ANTcryo — A Next-Generation Support Film
ANTcryo is an amorphous nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy support film developed by NanoDim — a fundamentally different material from the carbon films used in conventional cryo-EM grids. Designed for high-end structural biology applications where every angstrom counts, ANTcryo offers cryo-EM facilities a complementary option that addresses the most persistent pain points in sample preparation.
What Makes It Different
1. Higher Resolution
ANTcryo's amorphous NiTi alloy conducts electricity four orders of magnitude better than carbon film. Less charging. Less beam-induced motion. More high-resolution signal preserved. Users consistently report >0.2 Å improvement versus carbon grids.
2. Reduced Sample Adsorption
Carbon films pull proteins to the air–water interface, where they denature, aggregate, or lock into preferred orientation. ANTcryo's surface cuts protein adsorption by over 10x (verified by single-molecule force spectroscopy, Huang et al. 2020). More intact particles in holes. Fewer failed sessions.
3. Quicker Data Collection
Higher particle density per hole means you hit your dataset target with fewer exposures. Less time screening, more time solving structures — shorter projects, lower facility costs, and a faster path to publication.
Who It's For
- ▸Membrane protein labs — fighting denaturation and preferred orientation at the air–water interface
- ▸High-resolution SPA teams — pushing beyond 2.5 Å where beam-induced motion becomes the bottleneck
- ▸Facility managers — reducing supply chain risk with reliable 2-4 week delivery versus 6-8 month backorders
Below is a side-by-side comparison of how ANTcryo compares to Quantifoil, the long-standing market leader in cryo-EM support films.
How ANTcryo Compares to Quantifoil
| Feature | ANTcryo (Amorphous NiTi) | Quantifoil (Holey Carbon) |
|---|---|---|
| Support Film Material | Amorphous nickel-titanium alloy (Au grid) | Holey carbon (Cu or Au grid) |
| Protein Adsorption | >10x lower than carbon film (single molecule force spectroscopy) | Higher (typical for carbon films) |
| Glow Discharge Required | Yes (recommended) | Yes (typically required) |
| Beam-Induced Motion | Reduced (better conductivity) | Typical for carbon |
| Resolution | +0.2 Å improvement vs carbon film (user data) | Established baseline |
| Particle Inlet Rate | Higher (less adsorption = more particles in holes) | Typical for carbon |
| Preferred Orientation | Reduced (asymmetric surface) | Can occur on carbon films |
| Film Thickness | 22 ± 3 nm | ~12–15 nm |
| Grid Options | Au 300/400 mesh, Cu 300 mesh | Cu or Au, 200–400 mesh |
| Hole Patterns | 1.2/1.3 µm, 2.0/1.0 µm | R0.6/1.0, R1.2/1.3, R2/2, etc. |
| Published Papers | 100+ (Science, Cell, Nature Methods, etc.) | Thousands |
| Packaging | 50 pieces/box | 100 pieces/box (typical) |
| Patent | CN202010425127.5 | — |
Delivery & Supply: The Timeline Advantage
Quantifoil lead times of 6-8 months are a widely discussed challenge in the cryo-EM community. When a bulk order is delayed, entire data collection pipelines can stall. ANTcryo offers a dramatically faster timeline:
| Order Type | ANTcryo | Quantifoil |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Models | 2–4 weeks | 6–8 months* |
| Custom Configurations | 4–8 weeks | 8+ months* |
* Based on user reports and community discussions, 2024–2026. Actual lead times may vary.
Plan B: Mitigate Supply Risk
Even if you're satisfied with your current carbon grids, keeping a box of ANTcryo in your inventory is smart lab management. When your primary supplier is backordered, your data collection doesn't have to stop.
Try Without Commitment
Request a free sample kit and test ANTcryo on a challenging sample while your established Quantifoil protocols keep running. Zero risk, zero downtime — and a 100+ publication track record to back it up.
When ANTcryo Shines
ANTcryo isn't designed to replace Quantifoil — it's a complementary tool for situations where carbon films hit their limits. Here are the scenarios where labs find ANTcryo especially valuable:
Membrane Protein Structural Biology
Low protein adsorption is the single biggest advantage for membrane proteins, which are especially vulnerable to denaturation at the air–water interface. ANTcryo's amorphous NiTi alloy surface reduces adsorption by over 10x, as measured by single molecule force spectroscopy (Huang et al., 2020), preserving particle integrity and increasing usable particles per micrograph.
High-Resolution Single Particle Analysis
Better conductivity means less beam-induced motion, which directly translates to higher-resolution reconstructions. Users report +0.2 Å improvement versus carbon films — meaningful when pushing from 2.5 Å to 2.3 Å.
Particles Stuck at Air–Water Interface
If you're seeing particles denatured, aggregated, or showing preferred orientation on carbon grids, the low-adsorption NiTi alloy surface directly addresses this root cause.
Supply Chain Resilience
Quantifoil lead times of 6-8 months are a real operational risk for any cryo-EM facility. Keeping ANTcryo grids in your inventory — whether as your primary grid or a backup — ensures uninterrupted data collection when your standard grids are on backorder.
A Growing Track Record
ANTcryo is younger than Quantifoil, but it has already been validated in over 100 peer-reviewed publications — including work in Science, Cell, and Nature Methods. Researchers across structural biology have successfully used ANTcryo grids for membrane proteins, small soluble proteins, and challenging complexes.
What Researchers Report
“The ANTcryo grids show significantly reduced protein adsorption compared to conventional carbon support films, resulting in higher particle counts per hole and improved data collection efficiency.”
— Based on published ANTcryo user data in high-impact journals (Science, Cell, Nature Methods)
“The averaged dissociation force was 16.6 pN between hPD-L1 and the carbon film while the force between hPD-L1 and ANTA film was only 0.94 pN — over 10x lower protein adsorption measured by single molecule force spectroscopy.”
— Huang et al., Prog Biophys Mol Biol 156: 3-13 (2020)
Over 100 peer-reviewed papers have been published using ANTcryo grids, including in Science, Cell, and Nature Methods. See our publications page for the complete list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ANTcryo require glow discharge before sample application?
Yes. Standard plasma cleaning is recommended before use (e.g., H₂/O₂ or O₂/Ar, 5W, 30s with Gatan Solarus) to ensure optimal surface hydrophilicity and reproducibility.
Can I use ANTcryo with standard Vitrobot / Leica EM GP protocols?
Yes. ANTcryo grids are compatible with all standard plunge-freezing devices. Use standard glow discharge with plasma cleaning as part of your protocol (e.g., H₂/O₂ or O₂/Ar, 5W, 30s).
What is the delivery time for ANTcryo grids?
Standard models typically ship within 2–4 weeks. Custom configurations (e.g., non-standard hole sizes or mesh counts) take 4–8 weeks. Both are significantly faster than typical Quantifoil lead times of 6–8 months.
What is the minimum order quantity?
ANTcryo grids are sold in boxes of 50 pieces. Contact us for pricing and custom configurations.
Is ANTcryo available in different mesh counts and hole sizes?
Yes. Standard models include Au 300 mesh (1.2/1.3 µm), Cu 300 mesh (1.2/1.3 µm), Au 400 mesh (1.2/1.3 µm), and Au 300 mesh (2.0/1.0 µm). Custom configurations are available — contact us for details.
Ready to Explore Your Options?
Request a free sample kit and see if ANTcryo is the right complement to your cryo-EM workflow.