PhaseXplorer is an autonomous platform that studies phase-separating systems. It explores under which conditions a mixture splits into two or more distinct phases, helping to understand cell organisation and disease, and to engineer new materials such as food and drug-delivery systems. Used by researchers across biology, chemistry, and materials science.
Built around Confocal.nl’s NL5+ point-scanning confocal, driven by Micro-Manager, the open-source Fiji/ImageJ-based microscope control software — the microscope is a programmable participant in the experiment loop, not just a viewer at the end.
Capabilities
- Autonomous mapping of multivariate phase space
- Confocal imaging of droplets and condensates
- Drastic reduction in material consumption (10,000× less than manual)
- Throughput improvement (~100× faster than manual screens)
Located at
Ceres (ICMS / TU/e). Visitors welcome on request.
What is coming
Move from understanding when phase separation happens to optimising materials for specific properties. Collaboration with fellow ICMS members will be key.
Questions or training? Ask the super-user
For general facility access or new project scoping, contact superresolution@tue.nl.
Reference
Reference: Erkamp et al., ACS Nano (2025).