Air-free Transfer

Vacuum/inert gas sample transfer to the TEM, 9 Contact Biasing, and Heating

Technical Specs

 1580 Series Biasing Transfer 3 mm Sample Transfer
High Vacuum Transfer
Yes Yes
Inert Gas Transfer
Yes Yes
Number of Electrical Contacts 9* 0
Contact Type Direct Chip Contact N/A
Settled Resolution Up to TEM Resolution Up to TEM Resolution
High Temperature On-Chip Sample Heating Yes No
EELS/EDS Compatible Yes Yes
TEM Compatibility TFS/FEI, JEOL TFS/FEI,JEOL

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Features

Featured Research

Air-free transfer of air-sensitive solid-state battery electrolyte material

Solid-state batteries are generally non-flammable and have been studied for use in future electric vehicles. However, solid electrolytes are known to be highly sensitive to air and moisture. This prevents the utilization of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to perform high-resolution structural and chemical analysis, as common sample preparation and transfer approaches usually lead to unwanted air exposure. Hummingbird Scientific’s Air-Free Transfer TEM holder allows the air-free transfer of samples from a dry environment (i.e., a glove box)  into the TEM.

Researchers at Toyota Research Institute of North America and the University of Pennsylvania successfully transferred air-sensitive solid-state electrolyte material (Lithium Thiophosphate – LPS) inside the TEM for in-situ structural and spectroscopic analyses. There are clear differences between samples transferred with and without the TEM transfer holder (Figure – Right). The LPS particle transferred using the Air-Free Transfer TEM holder shows no sign of surface oxidation and degradation. The electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) data confirms no significant level of oxygen on the surface. The same LPS material transferred to the TEM in a standard holder without a protective mechanism (Figure – Bottom Right) undergoes surface oxidation resulting in a porous microstructure.

Data Courtesy: Dr. Nikhilendra (Nik) Singh and Dr. Timothy S. Arthur, Toyota Research Institute of North America, James Horwath and Dr. Eric Stach, University of Pennsylvania.

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Selected Publications

Eric Stach, James Horwath, Nikhilendra Singh, Timothy Arthur, Daan Hein Alsem, and Norman Salmon. “Understanding the Relationship Between Air Exposure, Electron Dose and Beam Damage in Solid Electrolyte Materails,” Microscopy and Microanalysis (2020) Abstract

 

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