Poseidon AX Brochure by Protochips

POSEIDON AX

Machine Vision

Liquid Cell for TEM

POSEIDON AX MACHINE VISION POWERED

In situ TEM

What

is Poseidon AX?

Poseidon AX is a revolutionary solution for in situ TEM analysis of materials typically found in liquid environment. This includes paints, cosmetics, inks, biological materials, electrocatalysts, batteries, and more. Study in a static, flowing, electrochemical, or heated liquid environments, and drive towards discovery of more robust, cost-effective, and efficient materials.

What sets Poseidon AX apart?

A complete solution from sample preparation to reporting results, Poseidon 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

LIQUID CELL TEM HOLDER

→ Self-aligning assembly

→ Static, flow, and mixing capabilities

→ Design optimized for in situ EDS

→ Pressure relief wells for TEM safety

→ Replaceable tubing without holder disassembly

AXON MACHINE VISION

SOFTWARE PLATFORM

→ Automated drift and focus correction

→ Real-time dose monitoring across the sample

→ Metadata indexing

→ Offline analysis software

QUANTITATIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS

→ Glassy carbon working electrode option

→ Standard reference electrode for comparison to bulk-scale measurements

→ E-chips available for FIB lamella from bulk samples

→ Integration, indexing, and alignment of all electrochemical data with images

UNIFORM LIQUID HEATING

→ Patented full-cell heating design ensures temperature uniformity during flow

SAMPLE PREPARATION

→ Tools like the shadow mask, FIB stub, and inspection holder for quick, reproducible sample prep

→ Extensive E-chip catalogue: range of spacers for different samples and narrow window widths to control bulging

What makes Poseidon AX the ideal choice for so many liquid-EM applications?

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

→ Miniaturized standard electrochemical experiments using common materials for results that are more easily compared to bulk-scale data

→ Uniform, accurate temperature control and image stabilization, even when actively changing temperature

→ Everything you need for successful in situ TEM results from sample prep to analysis, in one, thoughtfully engineered solution

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

This research investigates porous carnosine–Zn (Car–Zn) microspheres, assembled via peptide–metal coordination. Histidine–metal interactions direct their stepwise organization into robust, tunable frameworks. These insights advance the design of functional biomaterials for applications in imaging, biocatalysis, drug delivery, and molecular separation.

Kim, D. et al. (2025) Nature Communications, 16, 5229.

SCALING BULK TO NANO

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

Etching/degradation process of electrocatalyst nanocubes with different defects that affect overall catalytic activity. Black scale bar is 5 nm

9, 1–9.

Investigation of electroplating and stripping in carbonate versus ether-based solvents and how gas formation affects the solidelectrolyte interphase for sodium-based battery applications.

Shan, H. et al. (2018) Nature Communications,

Gong, C. et al. (2023) Energy Environ. Sci.,16, 535-545.

SCALING BULK TO NANO

Miniaturize standard electrochemical experiments using common materials for results that are more easily compared to bulk-scale data

Utilize any standard reference electrode that makes sense for the experiment, such as silver/silver chloride or saturated calomel, for maximum signal stability and a more straightforward comparison to benchtop work

Choudhary, S. et al. (2022) Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 169, 111505

Glassy carbon is offered as a standard working electrode material which is not only inert, but allows for a wider viewing area of the reaction than a metal electrode due to electron beam transparency

A novel deposition method for these NixB electrocatalysts is tested, depositing them onto an electron-beam transparent glassy carbon working electrode, and then cycled.

Tarnev, T. et al. (2020) Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 59, 5586–5590

Embedded heater provides full-cell heating with excellent uniformity, even while flowing

The patented heater design for Poseidon AX ensures the entire amount of liquid present in the cell is heated to the desired temperature, providing maximum uniformity for identifying temperature-dependent behavior.

In this research, poly diethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (PDEGMA) was used to show polymer phase transformations at different temperatures.

Electron flux of 0.8 e- Å-2 s− 1 with cumulative dose of < 10 e−Å− 2

Korpanty, J. et al. (2021) Nature Communications, 12, 6568

SCALING BULK TO NANO

Analyze chemical composition of samples with maximized x-ray collection for accurate EDS analysis in a liquid-filled cell

Active electrodes are always located on the top chip of the cell to enable in situ x-ray analysis with EDS and high resolution STEM imaging, even in a liquid-filled cell. There is no need to empty the cell in order to perform EDS.

Research on the synthesis of core-shell nanostructures while simultaneously imaging the compositional distribution.

Lewis, E.A. et al., Chem. Commun. 2014, 50, 10019-10022

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

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

Drop-cast, sputtered & powder samples

samples Flow, static and microwell configurations Electrochemistry

The inspection holder enables screening of sample deposition onto the E-chips, as well as high-resolution pre- and postexperiment analysis of the sample to complement in situ results.

Beermann, V. et al. (2019) Energy & Environmental Science, 12, 2476–2485

Clean, targeted sample preparation with a shadowmask ensures reproducible sample preparation from person to person.

Real-Time Growth of Nanomaterials

Poseidon AX enables a window into the mechanistic pathways of nanomaterial growth.

In these examples, the morphological evolution of nanomaterials is observed in real time observed using liquid-EM. (a) Shape evolution of a silver hexagonal nanoplate into a bimetallic gold-silver nanostar. (b) Branches formed by Au deposition at the corner sites of Ag nanoprism. (c) Time-resolved STEM image series reveals the formation of a gold shell over a silver nanocube.

Corrosion Pathways in Bulk Materials

Bulk materials may be prepared for in situ and operando TEM studies using FIB. E-chips optimized for FIB samples simplify sample preparation enabling you to obtain results with fewer iterations.

In this example, the dissolution of two MnS inclusions in a sample of 304L stainless steel is observed over the image time-series along with corresponding, in situ potentiodynamic polarization measurements.

Ag nanoplates under low capping agent and modified solution chemistry (10mM DMA, 100μM KI) at a dose rate of 2.8 electrons/Å2s.

N. et al. (2019) ACS Nano, 13, 13333–13342.

FIB lamella in aqueous solutions of NaCl with concentrations of 0.5M, 1M, and 3M. Flow rate: 250 μL/h

D. et al. (2022) Corrosion Science, 199, 110184.

Ahmad,

MnS

Kovalov,

ACCELERATING PRODUCTIVITY

DATA COLLECTION

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 recenters and aligns the image throughout an experiment, even at high magnifications

Rough sample stage movements

Smaller piezo corrections Beam shifts for smaller drifts

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

Digital correction is always on

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

PUBLICATION

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

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

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

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

Conforms to the FAIR Principles Initiative – making data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable