Atmosphere AX Brochure

ATMOSPHERE AX

Machine Vision Environmental Cell for TEM

ATMOSPHERE AX MACHINE VISION POWERED IN SITU TEM

What is Atmosphere AX?

Atmosphere AX is a revolutionary solution for in situ TEM analysis of gassolid interactions, such as those in heterogeneous catalysis.

What sets Atmosphere AX apart?

A complete solution from sample preparation to reporting results, Atmosphere AX will push performance, productivity, and discovery to exponentially high levels for your lab.

The incorporation of first-of-its-kind machine vision software technology instantly elevates the capacity and productivity of the microscopist, enables capture of high resolution and high value data with fewer iterations, and streamlines large data set processing and reporting both inside and outside of the TEM lab

ENVIRONMENTAL TEM HOLDER

→ Self-aligning assembly

→ Design optimized for in situ EDS

CUSTOM GAS HANDLING MANIFOLD

→ Stainless-steel components and automated bake-out to allow removal of trace residual chemicals

→ Volumetric blending enables gas environment flexibility

AXON MACHINE VISION SOFTWARE

→ Automated drift and focus correction

→ Real-time Dose monitoring across your sample

→ Full metadata indexing

TEM AND STEM OPTIMIZED E-CHIPS

→ Individually calibrated

→ Patented metal-free silicon carbide heating element

INTEGRATED GAS ANALYSIS

→ Ultra-quiet operation that maintains imaging resolution

VAPOR KIT

→ Compatible with water, alcohols, and organic solvents

→ No equipment modification required

SAMPLE PREPARATION TOOLS

→ Shadow mask, FIB stub, and inspection holder for quick, reproducible sample prep

What makes Atmosphere AX the ideal choice for in situ TEM catalysis applications?

→ AXON Synchronicity machine vision software allows you to focus on on the sample and not the TEM controls

→ Create realistic and relevant gaseous environments for studying Catalysts

→ Continuous quantitative measurement of electron exposure to the sample to better understand and control phenomena unique to the TEM

→ Obtain a well-rounded chemical understanding of your material with EDS and gas analysis

→ AXON Studio software to visualize and navigate large amounts of data and create reports quickly

Zeolites are important porous materials used in molecular sieving and catalysis. In this research, the flexibility of zeolite pores was investigated when guest molecules enter or exit.

Empty cages

Filled with vapor: benzene

ZSM-5 zeolite at 473 K and 450 Torr (90% N2 and 10% benzene)

Generate relevant in situ TEM results that complement bulk scale results, opening a direct portal to understanding the causes of material changes in their native environment

H2 at 150 °C

at 150 °C H2 at 150 °C

SCALING BULK TO NANO

Create the most relevant and realistic environments for the studies of catalytic activation, operation, and degradation

Patented volumetric blending system is calibration-free and accurately handles complex and custom gas mixtures

Mimic an environment’s moisture levels by creating humidity at room temperature, preventing condensation within the system

Non-metallic heating element heats up to 1000 ºC without contributing artifacts to the reaction

Humidity can have a detrimental effect on catalyst activity. Here, MgO crystals are exposed to a humid environment in the TEM and form Mg(OH)2 on the surface at 250°C, but the reaction is slowed at 700°C. Mass spec data confirms the presence of water vapor in both instances.

Continuous quantitative measurement of electron exposure to better understand and control phenomena unique to the TEM

Accurate semi-automated beam current and area calibration with proprietary Faraday cup holder

Once calibrated, the Dose software tracks electron exposure even as the sample moves. Electron exposure can be illustrated using colorful dose maps for quick visual understanding of accumulated dose

Structural changes of a ZSM-5 zeolite by Zeolyst as a function of electron dose monitored live by the Dose software

SCALING BULK TO NANO

Obtain a well-rounded chemical understanding of the material with EDS and mass spectrometry

Heating element located for sample placement on the top chip of the cell to enable in situ x-ray analysis using EDS and high resolution STEM imaging

High-entropy-alloy (HEA) nanoparticles can be used in a variety of applications in catalysis and electrocatalysis. In situ STEM analysis revealed that the porosity of the particles was maintained up to 800 °C.

De Marco, M. L. et al. ACS Nano, 2022, 16, 15837-15849

Integrated residual gas analyzer (RGA) mass spectrometer is the first of its kind for TEM, with ultra-quiet operation that allows use without loss of image resolution

The Atmosphere AX’s integrated RGA enabled researchers to measure the gas production of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts (cobalt platinum) on different support materials (silicon oxide [top] and aluminum oxide [bottom]) under in a syngas environment.

The unique design of the integrated RGA removes the need for a noisy roughing pump and can then be mounted close to the reaction in the TEM for fast gas detection and easier alignment of images with mass spec data.

Dembélé, K. et al. ChemCatChem, 2021, 13, 1920–1930

ACCELERATING PRODUCTIVITY

SAMPLE PREPARATION

Thoughtfully designed arsenal of tools that support reproducible sample preparation and fast introduction into the TEM

Workflows to fit your sample

Self-aligning in situ holder system enables users of all experience levels to quickly assemble and introduce a leak-tight cell  into the TEM, without additional alignment equipment required.

Drop-cast, sputtered & powder samples

FIB Samples

Direct drop cast

Clean, targeted sample preparation with the shadow mask ensures reproducible sample preparation from person to person.

Catalyst Degradation

Nanoparticles can be dispersed in solution and dropcast directly onto the Atmosphere AX heating E-chip or by using the shadow mask.

Here, copper nanoparticles were studied under reducing (H2) conditions, revealing that their morphological evolution is dependent on a combination of their initial shape and reaction temperature.

Oxidation of H2 Storage Materials

The Protochips FIB Stub is designed to simplify attachment of FIB lamellae samples onto an E-chip surface.

MgO growth in magnesium alloys was studied under low partial pressures of O2 and H2

Hollow copper oxide nanoparticles under H2 heated from 150 °C to 300 °C at 5 °C min−1 rate and finally at 400 °C.

MgO at low partial pressure of O2 and H2 (below 10-5 Pa) after 5 min at 300 °C, after 2 min at 400 °C and after 5 min at 400 °C

Sharna, S. et al., Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 9747–9756.

Sauvage, X. et al., Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2020, 248, 122928.

ACCELERATING PRODUCTIVITY

AXON is a machine vision software platform with modular expansion for the TEM.  AXON enables data collection and communication with the TEM and imaging systems, electron dose management, and large data set processing for reports and publication both inside and outside of the lab.

AXON provides a solution to help science return to a high level of rigor and reproducibility, and greatly enhances the productivity of scientific communication and collaborations.

Obtain high resolution images much easier through machine vision stabilization technology  | AXON SYNCHRONICITY

Live, 4-level drift correction technology continuously re-centers and aligns the image throughout an experiment, even at high magnifications

More consistent, high-quality results for users of all experience levels

Lanthanum strontium manganite grown on a strontium titanate substrate

ACCELERATING PRODUCTIVITY

DATA ANALYSIS

Visualize and navigate large amounts of data quickly and create reports | AXON STUDIO

Include “session metadata” like notes, publications, and photos related to experimental preparation

Filters and fast data scrubbing allow a quick review of very large image stacks to focus on the most important areas

All metadata aligned with images in real-time…

A simple copy/ paste function builds reports in seconds, eliminating the need for complicated export processes and reformatting of data

FOSTERING DISCOVERY AND COLLABORATION

Identify trends and results much more easily in large data sets and across different instruments

Studio is freely available to the community allowing data and metadata to be shared with anyone, greatly enhancing collaboration

All session and experimental history recorded, making correlation and reproduction of results far more accurate and quantitative, even between different instruments

Enhance collaboration by making experimental results easier to share, publish and reproduce

All data continuously synchronized and indexed making it easy to sort, filter and analyze very large data sets

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

EMEA

UTRECHT, NETHERLANDS APPLICATIONS

PROTOCHIPS, GmbH SERVICE & APPLICATIONS

LONDON, ENGLAND SALES

SHANGHAI, CHINA

TOKYO, JAPAN APPLICATIONS

SINGAPORE SALES