Go beyond standard gas holder pressures investigating catalyst performance, gas–solid reactions, and pressure-dependent phase transformations with gas pressures up to 20 bar and closed-loop MEMS heating up to 900 °C
The Hummingbird Scientific SEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder enables in-situ SEM imaging of gas–solid reactions at pressures up to 20 bar, extending well beyond the operating range of conventional in-situ gas cell SEM holders. Designed for researchers in catalysis, materials science, chemistry, energy conversion, environmental science, and nanotechnology, it combines high-pressure gas environments with closed-loop MEMS heating up to 900 °C to investigate CO₂ hydrogenation, methanol synthesis, Fischer–Tropsch catalysis, ammonia synthesis, methane reforming, oxidation, corrosion, nanoparticle evolution, and pressure-dependent phase transformations. By correlating high-pressure reaction conditions with high-resolution SEM imaging and analytical characterization, researchers can reveal reaction mechanisms, catalyst restructuring, phase evolution, and degradation processes under industrially relevant operating conditions.
Hummingbird Advantages:
- Supports controlled gas pressures up to 20 bar, extending well beyond conventional in-situ gas cell SEM platforms.
- Specialized high-pressure sealing technology with low-bowing silicon nitride (SiN) windows for stable imaging at elevated pressures.
- Closed-loop MEMS heating from room temperature to 900 °C with integrated temperature sensing.
- Screw-free environmental-cell assembly with self-aligning windows for fast, reproducible sample loading.
- Compatible with SE, BSE, STEM, and EDS during high-pressure in-situ experiments.
- Integrates seamlessly with your SEM using custom-fitted stage hardware and user-replaceable gas tubing for easy maintenance.
- Compatible with TEM, SEM, and X-ray microscopy workflows using cross-platform microfabricated chips.
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How it Works
The SEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder integrates a high-pressure-rated environmental cell, high-pressure gas delivery hardware, multifunctional high-pressure MEMS chips, electrical biasing, and closed-loop MEMS heating up to 900 °C into a unified platform for high-pressure in-situ SEM experiments. Samples are mounted onto Hummingbird Scientific MEMS chips optimized for pressures up to 20 bar before the environmental cell is assembled using a specialized high-pressure sealing mechanism. High-pressure-resistant, low-bowing silicon nitride (SiN) membranes, combined with optimized spacer geometries, maintain stable electron-transparent windows while withstanding gas pressures up to 20 bar.
The high-pressure gas delivery system provides manually-controlled gas flow through the sealed environmental cell, while the low-thermal-mass MEMS microheater enables rapid, closed-loop heating with integrated four-point on-chip temperature sensing. Compatible MEMS chips support a wide range of high-pressure in-situ gas-phase experiments, enabling direct observation of pressure- and temperature-dependent surface reactions, catalyst restructuring, oxidation, reduction, sintering, phase transformations, and material degradation under industry-relevant gas environments.
Key Features and Capabilities
Enable reliable in-situ SEM experiments at gas pressures up to 20 bar using a purpose-built high-pressure environmental cell
Achieve reproducible high-pressure gas-cell assembly with self-aligning windows and a screw-free sealing design
Perform temperature-controlled high-pressure gas-phase SEM with homogeneous MEMS heating up to 900 °C, 4-point on-chip temperature sensing, and near-drift-free imaging
Protect your SEM during high-pressure gas-cell experiments and streamline setup with rapid high-vacuum seal checking and optical inspection
Perform correlative high-pressure gas-phase microscopy across TEM, SEM, and synchrotron X-ray platforms
Perform correlative spectroscopy and microscopy for detailed in-situ elemental analysis
Keep experiments moving with in-stock gas-cell SEM chips designed for gas flow, heating, sample biasing, and multimodal microscopy workflows
Configure the holder for seamless integration with a wide array of SEM systems
Built for Diverse Research Applications
Software
Spend less time managing equipment and more time generating results. Hummingbird Connect™ integrates with microscope and laboratory software platforms to simplify experiment setup, streamline workflows, and keep your data organized from acquisition through analysis.
To help you get the most from your gas-cell holder, Hummingbird Control™ Software provides intuitive and precise control of closed loop gas heating. Together, these software solutions enable faster setup, improved reproducibility, and more efficient high-pressure gas-phase SEM experiments.
Built on Engineering Excellence
Hummingbird Scientific designs, machines, assembles, tests, and services its products in-house. Our integrated engineering, machining, microfabrication, software development, applications, and service teams enable rapid prototyping and iteration, custom modifications, and direct technical support throughout the life of the instrument. This vertically integrated approach allows researchers to adapt experimental platforms to unique scientific requirements while maintaining the performance and reliability required for advanced in-situ microscopy experiments.
The SEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder is a direct result of these capabilities, integrating a high-pressure-rated environmental cell, precise gas delivery, closed-loop MEMS heating, and experimental workflows into a single platform for reproducible high-pressure in-situ gas-phase SEM experiments.
Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.
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