FEI’s environmental microscopes, the Quanta SEM and the Titan ETEM provide the ultimate basis for dynamic observations of physical and chemical phenomena at the nanometer scale. Each is capable of maintaining a gaseous environment in the region of the sample, in addition to thermal control, giving the conditions needed for carrying out real in situ experiments for exploring structure-property-function relationships.
The Quanta SEM enables precise control over experimental parameters and specimen chamber environment, allows you to record movies (.avi) of in-chamber dynamic experiments for subsequent study. This enables real-time observation of material property changes and compositional analysis for materials characterization.
Examples of dynamic experiments using specialized stages in the Quanta systems include:
- Humidity cycling and in situ wetting, swelling, crystallization, melting and corrosion
- Tensile tests for in situ deformation and failure
- Thermal cycling and in situ heating and cooling
The Titan ETEM (environmental transmission electron microscope) is one of the latest additions to the Titan platform, with the option of a corrector for spherical aberration and/or a monochromator, for in situ capabilities at the atomic scale.
Example experiments include:
- Observation of catalyst activity at elevated temperatures and pressures
- Initiation and following of chemical reactions
- Fabrication of new nanomaterials over a wide range of conditions
- Direct studies of phase transitions and transformations
Microscopes for Dynamic Observation:
Applications for Research: