PolyHeater™ Accessory

For Thermal Experiments up to 300°C

Syndiotactic polypropylene melted to 160°C then
cooled to 105°C .

The PolyHeater is a heating accessory for the MFP-3D that allows controlled heating of dry samples from ambient to 250°C with a standard cantilever holder, and up to 300°C with an optional high temperature cantilever holder. The PolyHeater requires the use of the Environmental Controller. The PolyHeater is designed for air imaging AFM measurements, and is ideal for material science samples such as polymers, thin films, and more.

The PolyHeater heating stage is a metal stage embedded in ceramic and high performance plastic. Sample temperature can be maintained to better than 0.2°C precision with accuracy to 0.5°C. Typical temperature overshoots are 0.2°C. The sample stage accepts magnetic AFM discs and has clips and threaded holes for optional sample mounting possibilities. There are four 1/16" ports which can be used for inert gas purging. The cell can be fully sealed with the same membrane as the closed fluid cell. Sample supports of 12mm in diameter are recommended, with a thickness of 2mm (sealed). Thicker samples of 5-10mm are possible when the cell is not sealed. The maximum coarse sample translation is 10mm.

Environmental Controller
The Environmental Controller is a state-of-the-art digital controller and is used with the PolyHeater. The built in microprocessor in the Environmental Controller maintains closed loop performance independent of the AFM controller or PC processor load. All control and measurement functions are fully programmable through the IGOR software interface, including built-in capability for temperature ramps. More complex temperature profiles can also be programmed. Due to full integration, temperature information is stored with each AFM image. Temperature, setpoint, and heater power history are stored in the AFM data file. The Environmental Controller easily plugs into the MFP-3D main AFM controller for plug and play operation, without the need for special parameter files.

Additional specifications can be found in the Environmental Controls Data Sheet.

Movie of syndiotactic polypropylene melted to 160°C then cooled showing the crystallization at 105°C . The image to the left shows the colorized still images.

PolyHeater Heating Stage.

Environmental Controller.