Mounting a small sample to any piece of apparatus can be a daunting prospect when the sample is just a fraction of a millimetre in two of its dimensions. The sample mounting guide produced by Razorbill Instruments for mounting to the CS100 makes the process very straightforward.
Having moveable sample plates means that gap between the the attachment plates can easily be adjusted to suit different sized samples and desired strains. The CS100 is provided with a sample guide that can be affixed to the top surface so that these plates can be conveniently positioned, not moving inadvertently when the screws are tightened at the end of the procedure.
The sample to be strained can then easily be laid between the plates using the provided circular spacers as well as narrow diameter fibres or wire embedded in the epoxy above and below the sample to maintain the desired epoxy thickness.
After the top sample plate is added and the screws are tightened the epoxy can be cured. If required, contacts can then be attached to the sample at this point. The strain cell is then ready to be inserted into the cryostat.
The full sample mounting guide is available by filling in the contact form on the product page of the website.