ABLATOM, a start-up from the Institut Lumière Mathieu (ILM), introduces ABLASCAN, the first intelligent LIBS microscope capable of determining the atomic composition of materials in milliseconds – reliably and automatically.
Based on 15 years of research and development, the ABLASCAN democratizes advanced laser technology, previously difficult to access, to meet the needs of both laboratories and industry.
Read more about ABLASCAN
With ABLASCAN, you don’t need to be a chemist, physicist or data processing expert. Enhanced by artificial intelligence, the super scanner significantly accelerates and automates the chemical analysis of materials at the microscopic level. Its speed is 2.5-10 times faster than conventional instruments, even on large surfaces.
This revolutionary technology makes it possible to trace resources in ores, map the distribution of lithium in batteries, detect the brittleness of metals in nuclear power, and ensure quality control of strategic metals in recycled waste streams.
ABLASCAN covers the entire analytical chain, from hardware to data processing and measurement protocols. This plug-and-play solution eliminates the need for specialized expertise, making materials analysis affordable and reliable.
ABLASCAN fulfills two main needs:
- For laboratories: An open tool that expands scientific research and accelerates the discovery and development of new material properties.
- For industry: A fast, ergonomic solution that can be deployed on-site, eliminating the time-consuming and expensive processes of traditional laboratory analysis.
Special automated chemical analysis laboratory
ABLASCAN redefines the chemical characterization of materials with unmatched performance. It delivers analysis speeds up to 10 times faster than conventional LIBS instruments, performing 1 million chemical measurements in just 15 minutes compared to 3-15 hours with conventional methods.
This innovation opens up new research possibilities by scanning large surfaces (e.g., 200 cm²) in a single sequence while maintaining micrometer resolution under ambient temperature and pressure. Versatile and adaptable, ABLASCAN is suitable for a wide range of materials – metals, plastics, ceramics, glass and rocks – throughout their entire life cycle, from mining to recycling.
Its unique specifications are based on advanced algorithms developed by ABLATOM that automatically identify the chemical elements of a material with unparalleled accuracy, detecting even traces previously invisible to conventional technologies. This automation democratizes high-level analysis, reducing operating costs and increasing productivity.
Within minutes, any operator can receive a qualitative and quantitative analysis report, including optical images and detailed chemical maps of the material. By simplifying the analysis process, ABLASCAN maximizes productivity and makes chemical analysis a strategic tool for laboratories and industry alike.
LIBS microscopy for modern material inspection
ABLASCAN stands out as an innovative solution to major societal challenges. In the nuclear sector, for example, it detects and highlights metal brittleness – a critical issue to ensure the safety of facilities for several decades.
In the waste management industry, ABLASCAN overcomes the limitations of existing methods, where sample preparation and analysis are often time-consuming and unable to represent batches of several tons of material. By directly scanning materials with virtually no sample preparation, ABLASCAN provides representative analysis in minutes, enabling accurate valuation of valuable resources. This level of accuracy is critical for qualifying processing operations, stabilizing costs and optimizing material recovery.
Finally, in the field of geosciences, ABLASCAN facilitates the exploration of strategic resources such as lithium and copper and plays a key role in understanding environmental phenomena such as paleoclimate.
Developing the materials of tomorrow
ABLASCAN also enables the development of new materials, accelerating research into next-generation applications. Its ability to rapidly explore previously unknown chemical properties is driving innovation and supporting key sectors such as renewable energy and the circular economy.
A revolutionary tool, ABLASCAN is essential for re-evaluating yesterday’s materials, controlling today’s, and creating tomorrow’s – more sustainable, higher performing materials tailored to the needs of an ever-evolving society.
How it works
LIBS is an all-optical analysis method that reveals the chemical composition of any material (solid, liquid or gas) in just a few milliseconds. It works by focusing a short laser pulse to sample a material, creating a plasma. The optical radiation from this plasma is analyzed to detect, identify, map, and quantify the chemical elements of the material.
Key competitive advantages:
- Sampling, excitation and detection in one process.
- Instant chemical composition analysis.
- Detection of all elements of the periodic table, including light elements.
- Mapping large surfaces with micrometer resolution.
Technical characteristics of ABLASCAN
- Analysis speed: > 1000 Hz
- Lateral spatial resolution: > 8 µm
- Detection range: 0.1 ppm to 100% in a few milliseconds
- Multi-scale: from 10 µm² to > 200 cm²
- Dimensions (L x W x H): 160 x 60 x 190 cm
- Weight: 200 kg
