An entirely new class of in situ products, In-Operando
The Protochips Atmosphere system liberates new and existing TEMs from the limitations imposed by the vacuum, enabling users to study a wide variety of materials in a precisely controlled gas environment. View material dynamics and gas-solid reactions in real time, while adjusting the pressure and temperature systematically with easy to use software.
Based on a TEM holder closed-cell design, Atmosphere is a fully automated solution that includes a computer controlled gas manifold and a feature-rich software interface.
Break the pressure barrier of the ETEM at a fraction of the cost. Say Goodbye to vacuum. and Hello to Atmosphere!
Revolutionary in situ gas environmental cell platform
Atmosphere is a revolutionary in situ gas environmental cell platform that liberates new and existing transmission electron microscopes from the limitations imposed by the column vacuum, enabling users to study a wide variety of materials in a precisely controlled gas environment. Expose samples to pressures up to 1 atm, and temperatures up to 1000°C simultaneously, while imaging at atomic resolution. View material dynamics and solid/gas reactions in real time, while adjusting the pressure and temperature systematically with easy to use software. The automatic closed-loop temperature control ensures accurate temperatures regardless of gas species and pressure.
Patented and patent pending microelectromechanical (MEMS) semiconductor chips
Atmosphere integrates patented and patent pending microelectromechanical (MEMS) semiconductor chips to provide unparalleled capabilities in temperature, strength, high resolution performance and flexibility in a variety of applications. The technology, called Environmental-chips or E-chips, is the foundation of every in situ product Protochips designs and manufactures. Each E-chip is a consumable sample support that replaces the 3 mm TEM grid used by most TEM holders.
Ceria on Au BF STEM 200kV 100T H2/Ar, 600 ºC. Images are courtesy of of Dr. Allard Oak Ridge National Labs
EChips
Atmosphere E-chips integrate our ultra-stable, low drift thin film ceramic heating devices, capable of sustained temperatures up to 1000 °C even at atmospheric pressure and ensuring stable, robust operation. The ceramic design is metal-free, and provides a chemically inert substrate for heating and observing reactions. E-chips can maintain high temperatures for long periods of time, and the closed loop control keeps the temperature constant regardless of the gas species and pressure present in the E-cell. A second window E-chip with a silicon nitride window completes the E-cell, and provides a contained environment in the TEM.
Study samples like never before : under realistic, real-world conditions
The Atmosphere software is a powerful yet easy to use interface that provides user control within a flexible well defined layout. The user is guided from setup to experiment completion with integrated workflows including automated pump and purge cycles, leak checks and experiment execution, all of which are completely computer controlled. The user simply inputs the desired pressure and temperature and Atmosphere does the rest, while constantly maintaining a stable environment and monitoring for safety.
Make your next breakthrough discovery by taking full advantage of the resolving and analysis power of your microscope to study samples like never before: under realistic, real-world conditions.
Atom by Atom Analysis At pressures and temperatures you want:
Left : TiO2, 1 atm H2, 600 ºC, 200 kV TEM, Image courtesy U Paris, Diderot
Right : 1 atm N2/H2, 500 ºC, 200 kV TEM, Image courtesy U Michigan.
Observe processes directly, and don’t miss a step:
CNT/Co, 400 Torr H2, 275-400 ºC, 200 kV TEM, Images courtesy of IPCMS France.
See dynamic material behavior in real time
An Fe nanoparticle etching few-layer graphene (FLG) at 900 degrees C and 600 Torr of H2. The Fe nanoparticle preferentially etches the graphene along specific crystallographic directions.