Hardware and Software available at the Beamline

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Hardware

A number of objectives with various magnifications and numerical apertures (NA) are available for Users.

Standard Set-Up:

  • 36× Bruker, NA=0.5. Reflection/Transmission (with matched condenser)

  • 20× Bruker, NA=0.6. “Hybrid” macro-ATR

  • 32× Thermo, NA=0.65. Mini-ATR

  • 15× Bruker Grazing Angle Objective

Available Alternatives:

  • 15× Spectratech, NA=0.58

  • 20× Pike Technology, NA=0.7 (alternative objective for the “hybrid” macro-ATR)

  • 52× Edmund/UK Ealing, NA=0.65

  • 40× Pike Technology, NA=0.78

  • 74× Edmund/UK Davin, NA=0.65

  • Bruker MCT-D313, 50 μm Narrow-Band (standard)

  • Bruker MCT-D316, 50 μm Mid-Band

  • Bruker MCT-D315, 100 μm Wide-Band

  • Focal plane array (64 × 64)

Detector performance specifications

We have a number of liquid cells available. Please contact a Beamline Scientist if you are considering a liquid cell for your experiment.

NOTE: The PC2 laboratory is available for loading of the liquid cells as required for certain biological samples.

Liquid Flow-Through Cell

A Bioptechs flow cell designed for light microscopy has been adapted for FTIR microspectroscopy. The cell uses 40 mm windows, with a 2 mm thick drilled bottom window and a 1 mm thick standard top window. We currently have CaF2 available with ZnS windows ordered and awaiting delivery. The design uses a peristaltic pump to flow a film of media around live biological cells. Their response to changes in this media can then be measured in almost real time. Please contact a Beamline Scientist if you wish to use this sample holder. For more details on the cell itself, please see the Bioptechs website.

Figure: Bioptechs liquid flow-through cell

Liquid Compression Cell

A major restriction to studying living systems by infrared is the strong absorbance of water in the mid-IR region which overlays the amide I band (1650 cm-1) of proteins and complex biological materials. This limits measurements to samples with a path length of <10 μm, however a liquid cell designed at the Australian Synchrotron enables the collection of high quality, mid-IR spectra of live cells at these small path lengths. The design utilises a micro-compression cell to sandwich biological cells between two calcium fluoride windows (13 mm in diameter), one of which is printed with a micro-fabricated spacer approximately 6 μm in thickness. The S-channels in the spacer allow excess water to squeeze out from between the plates when a cell suspensions is compressed. The design has approximately a 40-60 minute hold time before the water evaporates completely.

Please contact a Beamline Scientist if you wish to use this sample holder.

Note: This set up is not always available for use.

Figure: [Left] Compression cell (open) with 13 mm CaF2 window. [Right] Fabricated CaF2 spacer (13 mm) with S-channels

Harrick Flow-Through Cell

This is an alternative flow-through cell that uses standard 25 mm windows, allowing a larger range of window material options. Unlike the Bioptechs cell, windows do not need to be drilled. Currently, we have 1 mm thick CaF2 and ZnS windows to fit the cell. See window materials page for transmission curves. A range of spacers are available to provide a pathlength from 6 μm to 950 μm. The working area for various objectives are:

  • 15×: 15 mm × 15 mm (determined with offline instrument)

  • 20×: 10 mm × 10 mm (determined with offline instrument)

  • 36×: 15 mm × 15 mm (determined with synchrotron light)

More information on the cell can be found at the Harrick website.

Figure: Harrick cell shown in assembly order from left to right. The pathlength spacers are cut into semi-circles to provide the liquid flow channel, allowing for standard IR windows to be used in the setup.

Figure: [Left] Disassembled ATR flow-through cell with 5 mm ROC Ge crystal shown. [Centre] Ge ATR crystal in position in the flow-through cell (without the lid). [Right] ATR flow-through in position in the microscope using the Bruker 20× objective.

Please contact a Beamline Scientist if you wish to use any of the listed accessories

  • A micro-compression cell for the analysis of small solids and geological samples

    • Can be fitted with diamond windows

  • Polarisers for analysis of structural information and molecular orientation within samples

    • ZnSe (currently available)

    • KRS-5 (will be available soon!)

  • A Linkam sample stage (FTIR600) that can heat samples up to 600°C and cool them to -196°C/liquid nitrogen temperatures

    • Can be used with samples in either transmission or reflection mode

Our offline spectrometer is a Bruker Vertex70 coupled with an Hyperion3000 microscope that can be used for large low-resolution overview maps of your sample to quickly determine regions of interest before high-resolution measurements are acquired with the synchrotron light.

Specifications:

  • Hyperion3000 microscope:

    • 15× Bruker objective, NA=0.4

    • Detectors

      • Bruker MCT-D313, 100 μm Narrow-Band

      • Focal plane array (64 × 64); wavenumber range 3800 - 900 cm-1

  • Vertex70 spectrometer:


Software

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