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 X-ray High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder enables in-situ X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy of gas–solid reactions at pressures up to 20 bar, extending well beyond the operating range of conventional in-situ X-ray gas cell systems. 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 real-time X-ray microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, and imaging, researchers can reveal reaction mechanisms, structural evolution, and chemical transformations under industrially relevant operating conditions.
Hummingbird Advantages:
- Supports controlled gas pressures up to 20 bar, extending well beyond conventional in-situ X-ray gas cell platforms.
- Specialized high-pressure sealing technology with low-bowing silicon nitride (SiN) windows for stable experiments 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.
- Integrates seamlessly with your X-ray microscope or beamline 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.
- Designed for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM), transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), ptychography, coherent diffraction imaging (CDI), and other synchrotron techniques.
How it Works
The X-Ray High-Pressure Gas Heating Sample Holder integrates a high-pressure-rated environmental cell, dedicated gas delivery hardware, multifunctional MEMS chips, electrical biasing, and closed-loop MEMS heating up to 900 °C into a unified platform for high-pressure in-situ X-ray experiments. Samples are mounted onto compatible Hummingbird Scientific MEMS chips 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, provide X-ray-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 X-ray experiments, enabling direct correlation of structural and chemical evolution with pressure, temperature, and electrical biasing during catalyst restructuring, oxidation, reduction, sintering, phase transformations, and material degradation under industry-relevant gas environments.
Key Features and Capabilities
Enable reliable in-situ X-ray 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 X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy with homogeneous MEMS heating up to 900 °C, 4-point on-chip temperature sensing, and near-drift-free imaging
Configure the holder for seamless integration with synchrotron beamlines and laboratory X-ray microscopy systems
Perform correlative high-pressure gas-phase microscopy across TEM, SEM, and synchrotron X-ray platforms
Protect your X-ray microscope or beamline during high-pressure gas-cell experiments and streamline setup with rapid high-vacuum seal checking and optical inspection
Keep experiments moving with in-stock gas-cell X-ray chips designed for gas flow, heating, sample biasing, and multimodal microscopy workflows
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 X-ray 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 X-ray 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 X-ray 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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