A vacuum-compatible wet-specimen chamber for compact X-ray microscopy

Soft X‐ray microscopy is a powerful tool for investigations of, for example, polymers or soils in their natural liquid environment. This requires a wet‐specimen chamber. Compact X‐ray microscopy allows the horizontal mounting of such samples, thereby reducing the influence of gravitational forces. We have developed a wet‐specimen chamber for such compact X‐ray microscope. The chamber is vacuum compatible, which reduces the exposure time. The vacuum sealing is achieved by a combination of mechanical sealing and sealing by bio‐compatible glue. With the wet‐specimen chamber the specimens can be kept in an aqueous environment in a vacuum of 10^?4 mbar for several hours. Imaging of lipid droplets in water demonstrates the function of the wet‐specimen chamber.