The Alemnis Standard Assembly (ASA) is perfectly adapted to the testing of biomaterials in a range of environments, both in-situ and ex-situ. Some examples include bone micropillars (made from FIB milling) tested inside the SEM, submerged biomaterials tested ex-situ in a liquid cell and analysis of biocompatible coatings for dental applications.
New Bio-indenter (IBIO) for dedicated testing of soft materials
- Applied load range: 10 µN – 500 mN (using MLC-0.5)
- Load noise floor: 4 µN
- Displacement range: up to 100 µm (using DH-100)
- Displacement noise floor: 1 nm
The Bio-indenter configuration can also be coupled with an optical microscope via a piezo-actuated XY displacement stage. The optical microscope has the following specifications:
- Objective with zoom (0.77 – 9.31x)
- Working distance 86mm
- Color camera 1280 x 1024 pixel
- Coaxial and annular illumination
Liquid cell (LIC) for submerged testing
- Submerging biomaterials in saline solution or Body-Mimicking Fluid (BMF) to evaluate their mechanical properties when hydrated
- Electro-chemical tests where the indenter may be used as a current probe and the electrolyte (liquid) may be activated using an external potentiostat for corrosion or passivation studies
- Studies of hydrogel meso-porous effects, i.e. how the mechanical properties change as a function of the level of hydration.
- Tribological studies of interaction between the indenter and the sample when submerged in lubricant (liquid oil or grease)
Relative Humidity Module (RHM) to simulate true bio environments
The relative humidity (RH) can be controlled over the range 5 – 95% with an accuracy of 1.5%. The temperature range is from room temperature to 70°C with an accuracy 0.1°C.
The environmental sample chamber consists of:
– the environmental chamber with all mounts;
– all cables, connectors, pipes;
– controller for relative humidity and temperature closed loop control.
For fully submerged testing without RH and temperature control, the Liquid Cell (LIC) can be used.