Device for holding electron microscope grids and other materials

A device for retaining a thin aperture, the device comprising:

• a body sized to hold one or more thin apertures, the body comprising a slot in its interior, the slot including sides for receiving the thin aperture, wherein the thin aperture is a flat disk with edges and a pair of opposing faces;
• wherein the slot is sized to receive the thin aperture through an open top end of the slot, the slot having dies tapering from the top end to a bottom end of the slot, such that the bottom end of the slot is smaller than the thin aperture;
• and
• wherein the slot is configured to contact the thin aperture along at least a portion of the edges of the thin aperture to secure the thin aperture to allow sideways deformation of the aperture without opposing faces of the thin aperture contacting the slot.

A device for retaining a thin disk, the device comprising:

• a body sized to hold one or more thin disks, the body comprising a slot formed in its interior, the slot including sides for receiving the thin disk, wherein the thin disk has edges and a pair of opposing sides and is made of a resilient deformable material;
• wherein the slot is sized to receive the thin disk through an open top end of the slot, the slot having sides tapering from the top end to a bottom end of the slot, such that the bottom end of the slot is smaller than the thin disk;
• and
• wherein the slot is configured to contact the thin disk along at least a portion of the edges of the disk and to allow sideways deformation of the disk without opposing faces of the thin disk contacting the slot.