Hysitron Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., has received an R&D 100 Award for its xSol high-temperature stage, which enables high-resolution nanomechanical measurements over a broad temperature and humidity range. The thermally stable xSol stage design provides superior feedback-controlled temperature accuracy and fast stabilization times. Dual resistive heating elements eliminate temperature gradients within the sample for a uniform temperature to the outermost testing surface.
Extremely precise mechanical property measurements can be made, with the simultaneous capability to obtain scanning probe microscopy (SPM) images. Different gases can be used in the testing process, which could be an essential element in the understanding of the material’s mechanical and tribological property changes as a function of time, temperature, load, and chemistry.
xSol’s heating element architecture and proprietary probe design provides passive tip heating for isothermal tip-sample contact. Combined with Hysitron’s nanoDMA III, elevated temperature nanoscale creep behavior can be reliably measured over long time durations.
Hysitron also won an R&D 100 Award for its Confocal TriboScope, which addresses challenges in the measurement of mechanical properties of soft and other biological based materials (tissues, cellular, bone, etc.). “The system combines the powerful features of confocal and other light- and laser-based microscopy, with Hysitron’s ultra-high-resolution electrostatic capacitive transducer technology,” said Dr. Syed Asif, Hysitron’s Director of R&D. “Particular benefits are seen in the research of cellular biology for cancer and other medical research. Other system configurations combine Fluorescence and Raman based techniques, to give advantages in the analysis of both soft and hard materials. “
