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Variable-Temperature
Microscopy Set-up |
With the test chamber lid opened, a
stereomicroscope can be mounted above a Phase
Technology’s Series 70X analyzer to
study phase transition visually. The
analyzer, equipped with Phase Temperature
Control Software (PTCS-70), allows the
user to specify a temperature program for the
sample. Phase behavior can be observed either
through the eyepiece of the microscope or
recorded by a camera. With a careful choice
of lighting and microscope magnification,
crystal size, shape and color are in full
view. Liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor systems
can also be studied.
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 The
analyzer can lower the sample temperature to
-80°C, thus spanning the wide sample
temperature control range from -80 to 70°C
(-112 to 158°F). Higher temperatures can be
achieved for customized models. The
PTCS-70 software is easy to use and allows
you to control sample warming and cooling at
rates as slow as 0.5°C/min (0.9°F/min) or as
fast as 30°C/min (54°F/min).
One can
also instruct the system to apply a pulse of
dry air (users' choice) onto the sample
surface to observe elastic response. The
magnitude of pressure and the temperature at
which the pulse is to be applied can be easily
specified in the temperature program.
Swinging the microscope away from the test
chamber, followed by closing the test chamber
lid, the same temperature program can be
executed. However, this time the built-in
detectors of the analyzer are used to monitor
the light scattering properties of the
sample. The light scattering results can be
used to correlate with visual observation of
phase separations and movement of sample under
pressure pulsing. With this capability, you
can program the Series 70X analyzer to
develop your own custom test methods to study
the phase transitional behavior of your
samples with extreme precision and accuracy.
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