The Value of In Situ TEM
An in situ TEM system greatly increases the capabilities and experimental possibilities of a conventional TEM. Having the ability to observe dynamic behavior at atomic resolution makes it possible for scientists to understand fundamental structure-function relationships, allowing materials to be engineered from the bottom up.
DENSsolutions develops award-winning plug-and-play in situ TEM solutions designed to transform conventional TEMs into multi-functional laboratories. Leveraging MEMS nano-chips, each system provides precise, accurate, and reproducible stimuli to soft matter, nanoparticles, FIB lamella, and nanodevices without compromising microscope performance.
Nanoscience Instruments is the sole distributor for DENSsolutions products in the US. Our dedicated sales, applications, and service staff have over a century of combined EM experience.
Our In Situ TEM Solutions
Liquid + Heat or Bias
Stream is the number one platform for liquid phase experiments. Its patented Nano-Cell enables precise control of flow rate and liquid thickness while heating or biasing the sample.
Gas + Heating
Climate transforms the TEM into a Nano-Reactor capable of in situ and operando experiments. Continuously mix up to three gasses and water vapor at pressures up to 2 bar.
Heating
Wildfire enables dynamic thermal studies by providing stable and homogenous temperatures up to 1300°C with rapid heating and cooling rates.
Biasing + Heating
Lightning builds upon Wildfire’s capabilities by enabling electric fields up to 300 kV/cm at 900°C plus the ability to measure I-V response with pA current sensitivity.
Advantages of Our In Situ TEM Solutions
Produce high-impact results by observing functional materials under conditions that mimic their real-world working environment.
Lower drift and better Z-height stability than other in situ solutions ensures your region of interest is clearly captured during rapid heating and cooling events.
Focus on microscopy with Impulse software’s intuitive user interface, customizability, real-time monitoring, automation, and data synchronization plug-ins.
Simplified sample preparation. The newly designed 3rd generation FIB stub workflow enables thinning and placement on the chip, all inside the FIB.
High resolution elemental maps can be acquired in a short period of time thanks to reduced infrared radiation from the microheater, EDS top chips, and exceptional stability.
Compatible with JEOL or FEI/ThermoFisher TEMs, including restrictive pole piece gaps.
What is In Situ TEM ?
The limitations of conventional TEM
Conventional TEM’s primarily act as an imaging tool to characterize structures of materials.
In the last few years, state-of-the-art TEMs have enabled atomic resolution imaging and analysis, which has been achieved through the use of image or probe aberration-corrected TEMs. The performance of these TEMs as an imaging tool has proven to be extremely valuable in identifying various material structures.
However, these conventional TEMs are still unable to support the whole research process. The reason is that conventional TEM is unable to replicate real-world environmental conditions (heating, gas, liquid, etc.) as the sample is always introduced into a static, high vacuum environment.
This fundamentally limits the value and obtainable benefits of a TEM.
The power of in situ TEM
Observing processes “on site” as they are occurring and under changing external stimuli is the paramount goal of in situ, time resolved techniques.
DENSsolutions utilizes MEMS devices, called Nano-Chips, to control the sample’s environmental surroundings and replicate real-life application conditions inside your TEM. The introduction of in situ capabilities into a TEM transforms the system from a static imaging tool into a multi-functional laboratory.
With these in situ microscopy solutions, researchers are now able to characterize structures, measure properties, evaluate performance, and optimize processes & synthesis – all in one system!
If you are interested in learning more about the possibilities of in situ TEM, please contact our applications experts using the form below.