DEMONSTRATION VIDEO

BENEFITS

APPLICATIONS

LUXOR’s highly advanced metal coaters (Au/Pt/C) are extensively used for many applications within the field of materials science – such as pharma, life science,
electronics, polymers, ceramics, as well as for academic purposes.

Microplastics and plastic pollution
Microplastics and plastic pollution are increasingly significant global challenges. They persistently accumulate in the environment, contaminating ecosystems and food chains, and pose potential risks to human health. Furthermore, there is a lack of comprehensive international regulations to manage plastic production, use, and disposal. SEM plays a crucial role in studying the presence, composition, chemical properties, and degradation of these materials.

Pharmaceutical applications
The pharmaceutical industry encounters significant challenges in drug development and must maintain strict quality control. SEM is instrumental in addressing these issues by allowing for detailed material characterisation, particle analysis, and the evaluation of drug formulation homogeneity. Given the organic composition of many drugs, sputter coating is often required to achieve clear, high-resolution imaging, which facilitates accurate analysis.

Green and renewable energy
Batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels provide sustainable energy solutions, but they face challenges related to material degradation, efficiency, and longevity. SEM helps address these challenges by revealing contaminations, chemical composition, microstructural defects, wear, and failure mechanisms at the nanoscale.

Food security and sustainable agriculture
SEM can also play a crucial role in food security and sustainable agriculture by providing detailed insights into soil quality, crop diseases, and the morphology, appearance, and texture of essential steps in SEM analysis, as they ensure that samples are properly prepared for imaging. This preparation prevents charging
effects and allows for high-resolution imaging of fine details such as cell structures and surface morphology.

Recyclable products
Recycled products and textiles contribute to sustainability by reducing waste, saving raw materials, and lowering environmental impact. To ensure their quality, SEM is used to analyse the microstructure and surface characteristics of these materials. Since many recycled materials — especially textiles and polymers — are non-conductive, sputter coating is employed to prevent charging effects and improve image resolution. SEM often uses techniques such as Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to analyse elemental composition and backscattered electron imaging to reveal compositional contrast, allowing for a more comprehensive assessment of recycled material quality.

Battery materials
Battery materials—such as cathodes and anodes—are often composed of non-conductive or low-conductivity components, which makes them challenging to characterise using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To obtain high-resolution images and reliable elemental analysis via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
(EDS), surface conductivity is crucial. One common and effective solution is to apply a thin carbon coating to the sample surface.

ACCESSORIES

STANDARD SAMPLE PREPARATION STATION
The LUXOR standard sample preparation station can simultaneously hold up to 6 x 12 mm sample stubs for metal coating. It is an easily accessible sample preparation table with 3 elastomer feet that also acts as the lid for the coating reactor.

 

 

 

SAMPLE HOLDER FOR MOUNTED/EMBEDDED SAMPLES
The LUXOR sample holder for mounted/embedded samples can hold all types of
samples that are mounted or embedded into resins with diameter ranging from 25 mm to 40 mm and height from 10 mm to 50 mm.

 

 

LUXOR GOLD TARGET
Gold target Ø 30 mm, thickness 100 μm (99,999% purity) for use with both LUXOR Au and LUXOR Pt