Nanometer-scale resolution in an ultra-high pressure environmental TEM holder
MRS Communications
2025
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
High-Pressure Gas Heating Inside the TEM
The Hummingbird Scientific TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder enables in-situ TEM and STEM imaging under controlled gas flow at pressures up to 20 bar. In contrast to Hummingbird Scientific's standard 2 atm gas-cell platform, it combines an environmental cell rated for pressures up to 20 bar, specialized high-pressure sealing technology, and low-bowing electron-transparent silicon nitride (SiN) membranes to maintain stable imaging at elevated pressures and temperatures. Integrated precision gas delivery and closed-loop MEMS heating above up to 900 °C recreate realistic industrial reaction environments beyond the capabilities of conventional low-pressure in-situ gas-cell TEM.
Designed for High-Pressure Materials Research
The platform supports in-situ investigation of CO₂ hydrogenation, methanol synthesis, Fischer–Tropsch catalysis, ammonia synthesis, methane reforming, oxidation and reduction reactions, corrosion, nanoparticle evolution, and pressure-dependent phase transformations. Operating at pressures up to 20 bar enables these processes to be studied under conditions that more closely replicate real-world reaction environments.
Reveal Reaction Mechanisms Under Realistic High-Pressure Operating Conditions
Many gas–solid reactions exhibit pressure-dependent pathways, intermediate phases, and kinetic behavior that cannot be reproduced under conventional in-situ gas-phase experiments. By combining gas pressures up to 20 bar with closed-loop MEMS heating and electrical biasing, the platform enables direct observation of reaction mechanisms, catalyst restructuring, phase evolution, and degradation processes under conditions that more closely represent practical operating environments.
Hummingbird Advantages:
- Recreate industrially relevant high-pressure reaction environments with controlled gas pressures up to 20 bar.
- Safely image nanoscale samples at the highest gas pressure available using a specialized sealing mechanism and low-bowing silicon nitride (SiN) membranes engineered for high-pressures.
- Achieve fast, reproducible environmental-cell assembly with a screw-free loading mechanism and self-aligning SiN windows.
- Observe high-pressure, high-temperature gas-phase material transformations with closed-loop MEMS heating up to 900 °C and on-chip temperature sensing.
- Preserve analytical performance with full EELS and EDS compatibility across the operating pressure range.
- Choose from a broad range of microfabricated chips with multiple heater configurations and window dimensions optimized for pressures up to 20 bar.
- Support diverse applications including pressure-dependent catalyst activation, phase transformations, and gas–solid reaction mechanisms at high-temperatures.
Technical Specs
1390 Series
Pressure Range at Sample
1 to 20 bar
Holder Gas Inlets/Outlets
1 inlet and 1 outlet on the holder
Gas Controller Configuration
1 experimental gas and 1 inert purge gas
Purge Capability
Yes
Tubing System
All metal
Heating Temperature
Up to 900°C
Biasing Contacts
4 contacts
Holder Cleaning
Bakeable to 160 °C
EELS / EDS Compatible
Yes
Available For:
.jpg)
How it Works
The TEM 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 TEM and STEM 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, minimize window deformation and gas-layer thickness, reducing electron scattering while maintaining excellent imaging stability at 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 heating and electrical biasing chips support a wide range of in-situ gas-phase experiments, enabling direct observation of pressure- and temperature-dependent gas–solid reactions, catalyst restructuring, phase transformations, sintering, oxidation, and degradation processes under industry-relevant gas environments.
Key Features and Capabilities
High-Pressure Gas-Cell Architecture
Enable reliable in-situ TEM experiments at gas pressures up to 20 bar using a purpose-built high-pressure environmental cell
Reproducible Screw-Free High-Pressure Gas-Cell Assembly
Achieve reproducible high-pressure gas-cell assembly with self-aligning windows and a screw-free sealing design
Integrated Gas Heating
Perform temperature-controlled high-pressure gas-phase TEM with homogeneous MEMS heating up to 900 °C, 4-point on-chip temperature sensing, and near-drift-free imaging
Multimodal Imaging
Perform correlative high-pressure gas-phase microscopy across TEM, SEM, and synchrotron X-ray platforms
Optimized for EELS and EDS
Perform correlative spectroscopy and microscopy for detailed in-situ elemental analysis
60+ In-Stock Gas-Cell TEM Chip Configurations
Keep experiments moving with in-stock gas-cell TEM chips designed for gas flow, heating, sample biasing, and multimodal microscopy workflows
TEM Safety & Seal Verification
Protect your TEM during high-pressure gas-cell experiments and streamline setup with rapid high-vacuum seal checking and optical inspection
Built for Diverse Research Applications
Featured Research
a) PVD Pt in DF-STEM at 27.5 bar N2. b) PVD Pt in SAED at 20.5 bar. c) BF-STEM and d) FFT of CeO2 particles showing resolution of 3.1 Å at 20 bar and 450 °C.
High pressure and temperature imaging and diffraction of heterogeneous catalysts and supported nanostructures
The TEM High-pressure Gas Heating sample holder was used to demonstrate gas cell operation far above ambient pressure and temperature. The holder was used to safely image deposited Pt at a broad range of pressures up to 27.5 bar with a resolution of ~1.5 nm while useful SAED patterns with distinguishable rings were also obtained at up to 20bar for deposited Pt. Image stability and achievable resolution at high-pressure and temperature were assessed by exposing Pt/CeO2 particles to up to 20 bar of 1:3 CO2/H2 up to 450 °C. CeO2lattice fringes were distinguishable in the image on the left using a zero-loss energy filter and a resolution of 3.1 Å was measured using the image fast Fourier transform (FFT), demonstrating excellent achievable resolution despite increased scattering by the experimental gas at elevated pressures.
Reference: George Hollyer, et al, MRS Commun. (2025). DOI: 10.1557/s43579-025-00825-7
Copyright © 2025 Springer Nature Limited
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 TEM 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 TEM 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 TEM experiments.
Need something unique? Our engineers can customize existing products or develop entirely new solutions to support specialized experiments and emerging research challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
What is the difference between the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder and conventional in-situ gas-phase TEM?
What types of experiments can be performed with the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
What gas flow configurations are available for the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
How is the environmental cell assembled in the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
Can EDS and/or EELS be performed during in-situ experiments using the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
Which gases can be used with the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder?
Is the TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder compatible with multimodal imaging workflows?
Related Products
Customization and Service
TEM High-Pressure Gas Heating
Fill out the following form to receive a quote