Industrial
Applications
Packing Materials

Uniformity of Particle Shape for Chromatography Packing Materials
used in HPLC.

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (or High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography) is a separation technique used
in many areas of analytical chemistry to separate, identify, and qualify various compounds in a specific solution. HPLC
utilizes a column that holds chromatographic packing material that retains molecules as they are pumped through the
column, the retention time being dependent on the packing material, the carrier liquid (solvent), and the specific type
molecule. Each chemical species in the injected sample is most identified by UV and Mass Spec detection. Most
traditional analytical HPLC packing materials have an average diameter of approximately 2 to 30 microns and are
typically a silica-based or alumina-based material. The particle size of the packing material is usually measured using
methods that assume all particles are uniformly spherical. This may not be the case, as in manufacture of the silica
and bonding, fines and irregular shaped particles can be a percentage of the final product. As particle size decreases,
the effect of fines and irregular shaped particles demands a greater degree of control on incoming quality of the silica
material. Variation in particle shape can directly affect reproducible performance.

Industrial
Applications
Fibre Particles

Particle Shape Analysis of Fiber Particles

Automated image analysis has been developed to
provide users with a more accurate measurement of
their particles. For many years, particle size analysers
have rendered results with the assumption that all
measured particles are spherical. However, in many
applications, the circularity of particles can affect both
performance and flowability in manufacturing. In some
cases, for example, measuring surface smoothness can
impact how well abrasives perform.

Industrial
Applications
Environmental Waters

On-site testing of RDX in environmental waters

Energetic materials (commonly known as explosives)
such as 1,3,5-trinitroperhydro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX)
(Figure 1) has been used extensively in the
manufacturing of munitions, and accounts for a
large part of the explosive’s contamination at active
and former military installations in various parts of
the world. 1 Most RDX compounds are not
significantly retained by soils and biodegrade very
slowly. As a result, RDX can easily percolate through
the ground to contaminate ground water which
serves as drinking water for surrounding
populations. RDX is not only classified as potentially
carcinogenic, but it can also damage the nervous
system if inhaled or ingested. Hence, continuous
monitoring of RDX levels in ground water would be
ideal for public safety to reduce RDX exposure to the
population and limit its potentially adverse health
effects.

Industrial
Applications
Vaccine Monitoring

Detection of hemagglutinin using Affinité’s P4SPRTM as a
potential platform to monitor production of influenza
vaccine

The influenza vaccine is manufactured each year to
protect people against serious illness that require
hospitalization and reduce the number of
mortalities associated with influenza. Therefore, the
timely production and validation of influenza
vaccine lots are of utmost importance. Each vaccine
lot must be evaluated for potency, which is based on
the amount of the hemagglutinin (HA) content
found on influenza viruses in the vaccine.

Industrial
Applications
Porous and Powdered Solids

Regarding the determination of density of
porous and powdered solids

Which one is heavier – a kilogram of lead or a kilogram of cotton? Or are both the same in weight?
Dear readers, the following article is not about the worst possible trick question, it is rather about the evaluation of different materials with regards to their density. In order to determine the density of a solid from its mass, it is required to determine the volume of the solid. The correct way to pose the initial question would therefore be: Which one is heavier – a cube with an edge length of one cm made of lead or a cube with the same edge length made of cotton? Or in short: Which one has the higher density, lead or cotton? Only by introducing the correct term of density, a useful labeling of materials in any field of application requiring information about masses can be carried out. This basically includes any field of applied technology – construction work, food, chemical industry, automotive and aero-space technology, pharma and medicine, cosmetics, geology or paper manufacturing.
The questions posed usually are: How many tons of grain fit into my silo? How is the ratio of a packages weight to its contents weight? How much additional mass is gained by adding an isolating layer? What is the composition of my powder mixture? Has my material changed in a process? Is this raw material or product of sufficient quality? Is my crown made of pure gold?

The answer to those questions requires a reliable way for determining density

Industrial
Applications
Isotherm

How isothermal is an isotherm

Nitrogen adsorption at the boiling point of liquid nitrogen, N₂@77K, has become the established method for quality control. However, scientific surface and pore investigations are increasingly being performed with different adsorptives at higher temperatures, such as Ar@87K, CO₂@195K or CO₂@273K. One question for every measurement is the accuracy of the used measuring temperature. As example in technical articles, the specification of the experimental temperature with 77.35 K as the boiling temperature of liquid nitrogen suggests an unrealistic accuracy of two decimals if a standard liquid nitrogen dewar is applied. In scientific articles, however, the adsorption temperature of N2 measurements is often given as 77 K, 77.3 K, 77.4 K, 77.5 K or 78 K. Few users are aware that their reported temperature could very likely vary by as much as 0.5 K because of the dependence of the boiling temperature both from the purity of the liquid nitrogen, but mainly from the ambient pressure. Not only must the temperature dependence of the saturation vapor pressure be evaluated for very accurate results, but also the exact measuring temperature and its constancy must be known over the complete measuring time. So far, this is the state of the art for relating thermostats with temperature accuracies of 0.01 K close to room temperature and should be aimed at for other temperature ranges as well. The new developed cryoTune 77 option offers an easy-to-handle technical solution for such significant temperature stability improvement for accurate sorption studies.

Industrial
Applications
Micropores

Thorough characterizations of micropores
with CO₂ adsorption at 195 K

Sorption experiments with CO2 are a widespread method for the characterization of carbon-based and other materials with an emphasis on micropores due to their relevance for climate research. Until now, the most common application was CO2 sorption at 273 K.

Industrial
Applications
Adsorptives

Adsorption studies with various adsorptives
from 77 K up to 323 K

Surfaces are formed by all solids as external interfaces and are present as micropores, mesopores, macropores or as external surfaces on non-porous particle areas. The results of gas adsorption measurements are the sum of particle surfaces including surface roughness and open pores. In principle, a complete isotherm or, for the determination of the BET surface area, only a part of an isotherm is measured. Figure 1 shows such sorption isotherms of nonporous carbon black, mesoporous glass and a microporous metal-organic framework, together with standard range to calculate BET surface areas.

Industrial
Applications
Ultramicropores

How to characterise smallest
ultramicropores?

Quite often there is a request to decide for a new instrument or a measuring routine to characterize pores larger than 0.35 nm. Independent of the fact that 0.3 nm is the critical and 0.35 nm the so-called kinetic molecule diameter of N₂, there is an illusion that micropores in the range of 0.4 nm might be characterized by the use of N₂ at 78 K. Over the last few years, we have measured numerous ultramicroporous materials. These materials always showed the same characteristics, namely that N₂ is adsorbed at 78 K only by pore sizes larger than 0.5 nm. We employed long-term sorption measurements on a narrow pore Zeolite 4A and explain the effect and possible solutions for the characterisation of ultramicropores.

Industrial
Applications
Surface and Pore Structure

Argon for surface and pore characterisation

The critically reviewed IUPAC report “Physisorption of gases, with special reference to the evaluation of surface area and pore size distribution” was published in 2015 and is an up-to-date compendium for the characterization of porous materials using gas sorption. Besides an extended isotherm classification, this updated release includes numerous recommendations for the measurement and interpretation of isotherm data. “New recommendations” that have been the basis of applying our measurement methods since many years. A fact that becomes obvious in this central topic is that the characterization of micropores using physisorption of should be carried out with argon at a temperature of 87 K (boiling temperature of argon). We have identified this advantage more than 20 years ago and its practical realization to achieve 87 K was by use of liquid argon for a long time.

More recently, we started to equip our instruments with so-called cryoTune modules, an option that was specifically designed for achieving an 82 – 135 K temperature range. In this way, not only the boiling point of the noble gas argon at 87 K, but also the boiling point of the noble gas krypton at 120 K becomes viable for isotherm analysis. This article describes these additional research options with a critical discussion of the nitrogen-based results as traditional basis not only for pore size but also for surface area determination.

Industrial
Applications
Micropore Adsorption

IUPAC recommendation consequences for
micropore adsorption studies

The IUPAC-report “Physisorption of gases, with special reference to the evaluation of surface area and pore size distribution” contains essential guidelines for obtaining and interpreting experimental data by means of gas adsorption [1]. This includes an extended classification of physisorption isotherms and hysteresis types. Furthermore, it takes account of scientific and technological progress made in the characterization of porous materials during the last 30 years.
A key topic within that report is the recommendation to employ argon at the boiling point temperature of liquid argon (87 K) for micropore analysis. Argon atoms provide distinct advantages over nitrogen molecules for gas sorption analyses, including the following:

• Unlike nitrogen, argon has no quadrupole moment. Thus, using argon as adsorbate eliminates specific chemical interactions with polar/ionic surface sites.
• As a result, argon physisorption isotherms provide much more reliable fingerprints of the interactions modeled by today’s most advanced DFT-techniques for pore size characterization.
• Argon sorption analyses at its boiling point 87 K can be significantly faster than conventional N2 77 K experiments, because the filling of a pore size can occur much more readily at higher relative pressures.

Industrial
Applications
Porous Materials

How exact can we determine the specific
surface area of porous materials?

The specific surface area of powders and porous solids is
usually described with the BET theory, however especially in
the micropore range we should cast a critical spotlight on
the term “surface area” on an atomic scale. On one hand,
this will be in reference to the “real surface”, which
incorporates irregularities and impurities of any given
porous material. On the other hand it is also in relation to
other representations of a surface area determined by a
variety of analytical instruments employing the method of
physisorption such as the 3P meso 400. This will be
especially important during the determination of
micropores. Furthermore the apparent contradiction, that
surface area analysis in microporous materials is
theoretically questionable but a sample characterisation
based on it is very useful from a practical point of view,
needs to be considered.

Industrial
Applications
CO₂ Absorption Study

Adsorptions studies with CO₂ at 195 K –
theory and practice

Sorption studies with CO₂ are still in the spot light of current research projects. Not only because of climate relatated investigations but also to characterise nano-sized and porous materials. Close to real-life conditions of CO₂ adsorption of gas mixtures are typically gained with dynamic method methods, such as breakthrough curves. However, single component isotherms are mostly collected via static manometric methods. Despite the fact that is common practice, one might varying characteristic data. One reason might be the fat that CO₂ does not form a liquid phase under norm conditions.

Within this study we aim to show:

• an easy way to conduct CO₂ measurements
• the nature of the adsorbed phase using the mesoporous model material MCM-41
• substance parameters for CO₂

Industrial
Applications
Paper Porolux

Paper

Filter paper is a semi-permeable paper barrier permeable to one or more components of a suspension and impermeable to others. The raw materials for filter paper production are different paper pulps, which can be made of softwood, hardwood, fibre crops and mineral fibres. Paper or wet-laid fibrous media is used for different filtration applications, mainly in laboratories or industrial applications.

The POROLUX™ Cito series is the ideal porometer to measure your paper filters. It guarantees not only fast & reproducible results, but also an easy software interface and a straightforward way of presenting the results.

Industrial
Applications
Follow Fibres Porolux

Hollow Fibre Membranes

Hollow fiber filters are used in many different filtration applications, and determining the pore sizes is of crucial importance. An extra challenge is that hollow fiber membranes are often delicate and subject to stretching, deformation, and even rupture. Therefore, selecting the proper instrument to properly measure your hollow fiber membrane is key.

The POROLUX™ and POROLIQ™ series are the reference for hollow fiber measurements. Our customers appreciate the technology and ease of use of the instruments, but above all that we can recommend the best technique to measure their hollow fibers.

Additionally, our specially designed sample holder allows for easy adaptation and testing of fibers of various internal and external diameters.

Industrial
Applications
Metals Porolux

Metals

Metal-based filter media are available in many different shapes and structures. They are very often used in filtration and separation applications because of their high temperature and corrosion resistance, high porosity and permeability, as well as their high mechanical strength and durability. The characteristics of the pore structure, such as pore sizes and pore size distribution, govern the filtration properties of all filter media.

The pore sizes and pore size distribution of metal-based filter media are easily measured with our gas-liquid POROLUX™ porometers.

Industrial
Applications
Ceramics Porolux

Ceramics

Ceramic filters are usually hard and rough in surface but porous inside the structure. Porous ceramic tubes, sheets, membranes, etc., have long been used for various industrial applications. Such materials have great resistance to thermal and physical shock, low-pressure drop, and weight. Therefore, they are indispensable in many filtration applications.

Our porometers can determine the pore sizes in porous ceramic media made in any form. If the POROLUX™ cannot measure it, no instrument can.

Industrial
Applications
Nonwovens Porolux

Nonwovens

Nonwovens are very commonly used as filtration media. Typical examples are air-conditioning, masks, water purification, blood filtration, pharmaceutical filtrations, and many others.

Nonwovens are often characterized by how they are produced (spunbond, meltblown, etc) and their weight, leading to differences in strength and durability. But also the pore sizes are an influential factor in selecting the most suitable nonwoven for the different filtration requirements.

Capillary flow porometry is an easy and straightforward way to characterize the pores in nonwoven filter media. On top of that, our porometers generate fast & reproducible results. Especially our POROLUX™ Cito L is a well established instrument within the nonwoven media industry.

Industrial
Applications
Membranes Porolux

Polymeric membranes

Polymeric membranes are widely used in many filtration processes. The degree of selectivity of a membrane depends, amongst others, on the membrane pore size and pore size distribution. Therefore, the correct determination of pore sizes and pore size distribution is vital.

Gas-liquid and liquid-liquid porometry are exceptionally well suited for measuring polymeric membranes. Both flat sheets and hollow fibres membranes can easily be analysed with these techniques. Given its accurate determination and correct representation of pore sizes, it’s no wonder that our POROLUX™ and POROLIQ™ porometers are the most wanted brand in membrane labs worldwide.

Industrial
Applications
Drinking Water

Quantifying Trace Amount of Nanoparticles in Drinking Water

Plastic is a type of material that is resistant to degradation and is practically indestructible. While plastic will break down into fragments and fragments will become microplastics (1 µm to 5 mm*) and become nanoplastics via photo-oxidative mechanisms, plastic fundamentally remains the same throughout the process. Nanoparticles can gain access through inhalation, ingestion, or dermal exposure and have greater cellular uptake than those bigger in size. Nanoparticles subsequently pose a greater impact on health. The concern of water contamination from nanoplastics (≤ 1 µm) is, therefore, a study receiving close scrutiny from FDA and EPA alike.

* Size-based nomenclature per Section 116376 of the State of California Health and Safety Code

One of the proven methods of tackling microplastics applications is the use of Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy allows chemical identification of organic and inorganic particles, giving clues to the origins of the plastic. When Raman is coupled with ParticleFinder, the subsampling of microplastics by particle size and shape can be automated well within the software. HORIBA Scientific offers a microplastics solution; click to read the latest development and academic collaboration on Microplastics Analysis.

Particles smaller than 1 µm, however, are tedious and difficult to quantify using spectroscopy or other traditional techniques. In a recent publication, Yang et al used the ViewSizer 3000 multispectral Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (m NTA) technique to study transport of microplastics from ocean to atmosphere via sea spray aerosolization. The experiment utilized m NTA’s ability to accurately count particles in a complex environmental matrix, and in so doing, refuted the popular belief that ocean contributes to the majority of plastic in air.

While counting only plastic nanoparticles among all other materials in water is still an application in progress involving proper particle staining procedure, here we offer examples of nanoparticle counts in three drinking water sources:

• Home reverse osmosis filtered water (where water is forced through membranes to remove impurities) collected in a glass vial
• 365 Everyday Value purified water (plastic bottle)
• Icelandic Glacial spring water (plastic bottle)

The analysis workflow is straightforward. 500 µL of water was transferred directly from the source to the measurement cell. Three simultaneous operating lasers (635 nm, 520 nm, 445 nm) were then used to collect and track particles until a statistically significant number of particles were collected over 50 videos or approximately 30 minutes. The analyses below are average results of triplicates. It demonstrated that although bottled water is marketed as cleaner and superior, the data beg to differ. Home RO water shows the lowest nanoparticle count overall compared to its similarly filtered water from 365 Everyday Value. Icelandic Spring Water contains the highest number of particles per mL.

Industrial
Applications
Metal Powders ViewSizer 3000

Optimization of High-Performance Nanostructured Powder Metallurgy Materials

In this note, we will briefly explore the history of powder metallurgy and then examine the importance of powder quality to the production of nanomaterials. Using a case study from the Vecchio lab at the University of California, San Diego, we will highlight the necessity of accurate particle sizing in the production of nanoparticles by spark erosion. Data from the ViewSizer 3000 indicates that particle quality and process control can be heavily reliant on capacitance charge, and that the choice of liquid dielectric has a significant impact on the resulting size distribution.

Industrial
Applications
Whiskey ViewSizer 3000

Predicting Whiskey Shelf Stability with Particle Size Distribution

Careful control of the particulates in whiskey is an important step to quality flavor and color. Inadequate monitoring of particle size impedes the final product stability, consistency, quality, and price. In this note, the particle science behind these determining factors will be thoroughly examined and explained.

Industrial
Applications
Emusion ViewSizer 3000

Optimization of an Emulsion Polymerization Process and Product Through Nanoparticle Concentration Analysis

This note covers the history, theory and processes used for emulsion polymerization. It also examines the importance of measuring the concentration of latex nanoparticles produced by emulsion polymerization for a biotech application developed by the Gianneschi lab at UCSD. The Gianneschi case study includes data from HORIBA’s ViewSizer 3000.

Industrial
Applications
Vaccine Manufacuring
ViewSizer 3000

Particle Analysis in Vaccine Manufacturing and Development

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

Size matters in vaccine delivery systems. Nanoparticles smaller than 200 nm generally present a greater immunogenic response than micro-particles larger than 1 micron. This rather simple statement is based on the common understanding that particles with sizes resembling the dimensions of viruses are treated like viruses by the body. In the case of manufacturing for novel COVID-19 vaccine, adenovirus around the same size as SARS-Cov-2 (median of roughly 90-100 nanometers) are manipulated as carriers (or viral vectors) to trigger spike proteins production. In contrast, published literature showed that the effect of vaccines given orally, intranasally, or via other mucosal surfaces favor micro- over nanoparticulate formulations due to higher antigen load. The size of the impurities also significantly affects vaccine efficacy. In sum, many vaccine formulation ingredients should have controlled particulate size, size distribution, and count throughout the process of development, manufacturing, storage, and administration.

Vaccine Commercial Production

The upstream process of vaccine preparations requires careful virus characterization to achieve optimized infectivity and stability. Infectious titers are used to determine the concentration of viral particles that can transduce cells and its virus load in a sample. Two established analytical techniques to measure infectious titers are:

• Viral Plaque Assay (VPA)
• Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR)

Both approaches quantify the amount of virus present in a solution. Viral Plaque Assay for lentivirus, for example, takes up to two weeks of incubation time to determine its result in a form of Plaque Forming Units (PFU) per mL. The counting of PFU is also subjective, resulting in low reproducibility from one analyst to another. qPCR, on the other hand, does not discriminate between whole, broken, empty, aggregates, infectious or non-infectious viruses; it merely determines relative viral gene expression and correlates the value back to PFU. The drawback is that the qPCR requires prior knowledge of the viral genome sequence, can be costly, and analyzes concentration of genomic material, not infectious virus since uncoated RNA or DNA may exist in a sample, but, without a coat, be unable to enter a cell.

Figure 1: Measurement result of a human viral vector sample. Note the distribution displayed presence of both host cell debris and aggregates.

Particle concentration analysis results from ViewSizer 3000™ multi-laser Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) correlate with PFU, similar to qPCR. Due to three simultaneous operating lasers, it quantifies not only the intact viral particles but also infectious aggregates. Figure 1 demonstrates the measured size distribution of a sample of human viral vector, a virus candidate used in vaccine manufacturing. Note the significant population of larger particles.

Download Application Note 1: Achieving Infectious Titer with multi-laser Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) on the right hand side

The ability to effectively analyze the entire size range allows the ViewSizer 3000 to successfully correlate known infectious titer to the total particle concentration with a R² value of greater than 0.9, proving the multi-laser NTA technique a new, cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to VPA and qPCR.

Figure 2: Infectious titer correlation.

Viruses and Virus-Like-Particles (VLP)

Virus-like particles (VLP) are meant to mimic the virus of interest to provoke a therapeutic effect (such as immunity) without the expense of virus or risk of infection. They have been the focus of countless investigations on innovative vaccines. The size of VLPs is similar to that of viruses, which typically ranges from a few tens to a few hundred nanometers. Laser diffraction is an ensemble technique that allows quick, routine analysis. The technique is also fundamentally more sensitive to larger particles such as contaminants. Depending on how the VLP is manufactured, fragments of starting material will likely be present in the sample at larger sizes than the VLP itself. This arises when materials (such as emulsions) are prepared with a large or broad size distribution and then the size reduced to produce a final product. Remaining large particles can lead or unwanted immune response or issues with filtration in subsequent processing (such as filtration sterilization). To analyze viruses and VLP alike, it is essential a technique covers a wide dynamic particle range.

An example size result (below Figure 3) shows three separate populations. The finest (smallest particle size) population is the VLP itself. The remaining populations (with diameters over about 1 micron) are starting material that has not yet been sheared or otherwise milled to finer sizes. The LA-960 can report size metrics for the entire population as well as metrics for each individual population using the Multimodal Report.

Figure 3: Particle size distribution and results for a VLP material as measured by the LA-960. This sample shows three separate populations. The finest (smallest particle size) population is the VLP itself. The remaining populations (with diameters over about 1 micron) are starting material that has not yet been sheared or otherwise milled to finer sizes.

Exosomes for a New Generation Vaccine

A subgroup of extracellular vesicles (EV) known as exosomes play an increasingly important and intricate role in diagnosis and treatments of various diseases. They are responsible for transferring genetic material and cell-to-cell communication by carrying various nucleic acids, including RNA, lipids and proteins. Its immunogenic properties reportedly correlate with the amount of associated antigens, according to many published reports, thus, creating an opportunity for potential vaccine development.

Exosome particle size and concentration are especially scrutinized as they present important clinical information. To date, however, EV research still lacks standardization for its purification process. It also have been limited by the analytical technologies used to measure them. It is well understood, however, that EVs are a heterogeneous group of particles with a range of sizes and biogenesis; the size distribution are expected to be wide, even after processing.

The ViewSizer 3000 features three simultaneous operating lasers at 635 nm (red), 520 nm (green), 445 (blue) and a color camera to accurately visualize particles of large dynamic range. It overcomes the common drawback of conventional NTA, which is the failure to size particles accurately in a polydisperse sample. Human Preadipocyte (Mesenchymal Stem Cell) Exosomes (100 ug) samples acquired from ZenBio was measured using the ViewSizer 3000. The result was validated by a tunable resistive plug sensing technique and showed a profile with D50 particle diameter of 148 nm and total particle concentration of 5.7 x 107 particles/mL.

Figure 4: Particle size and concentration distribution of exosome.

Download Application Note 2: Particle Size Distribution and Concentration of Exosomes

Conclusions

Viruses, VLP’s (such as adjuvants) and exosomes can be analyzed for size and concentration using a multi-laser nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) instrument, the ViewSizer 3000. Most samples show a wide size distribution that frustrates single laser NTA. If only size distribution is needed, such as in a size reduction process, laser diffraction has also proven useful.

Industrial
Applications
Single- and multi-point comparison

Comparison of Single-Point and Multi-Point Surface Area Measurements

The Flowing Gas Technique for determining BET Surface Area has been in use for over 70 years. Many facets of the technology make it a very attractive alternative to the Static-Volumetric approach.

First and foremost is the fact that the detection is done by measuring a gas concentration difference instead of an absolute pressure. Difference measurements are typically more accurate than many absolute measurements.

The speed of analysis and the resulting high sample throughput is also quite attractive. As a result, for routine QA/QC analysis, there has been a renewal of interest in this technique.

Industrial
Applications
Low Specific Surface Area Standards
Horiba SA-9600

Measuring Low Specific Surface Area Standards with the SA-9600

A feasibility study to measure low specific surface areas with the SA-9600 Series was performed using Certified Reference Materials BCR 169, 170 and 172 from the European Commission Joint Research Centre. The reference materials consist of two alpha-alumina powders and one quartz powder, with certified values 0.1, 1.05, 2.56 m2/gram, respectively. The results show the SA-9600 can measure low specific surface area, with great agreement with certified values.

Industrial
Applications
Metal Powders SA-9600

Metal Powder Properties: A Case with Low Specific Surface Area

Powder metallurgy is the study of transforming metal into powder and the consolidation of powder into the desired final product through methods such as sintering, compaction, blending, injection molding, or extrusion. Powder metallurgy is the essence of 3D additive manufacturing and it covers a broad spectrum of traditional applications including orthopedic implants, dental restorations, or paint pigments. The success of any powder metallurgical process, however, depends heavily on the understanding and control of the metal powder characteristics.

Industrial
Applications
Food Packaging BeDensi T Pro

Optimizing Food Packaging Size by Measuring the Tapped Density

A reasonable packaging size in the food industry is important not only to ensure the success of the packaging process, but also to decrease the cost of transporting products. This application note explores how the size of the food powder container is determined by measuring the bulk density and tapped density. In this research, three types of protein powders, including whey protein, soy protein and whey-soy protein mixture, were analyzed by an automatic tapped density tester – The BeDensi T1 Pro. The result demonstrates that the instrument relies entirely on providing food manufacturers with reliable information to determine the optimum packing size and choose a container that is satisfying to the customer.

Industrial
Applications
Pharmaceuticals BeDensi T Pro

How to Perform a Standardised Tapped Density Test for Pharmaceutical Powders

Tapped density is a significant parameter to explore the compressibility and flowability of pharmaceutical powders, which is useful to promote the approach of QbD and GMPs. Standardization of apparatus and procedure is vital to get meaningful repeatable results. In this application note, standardized tapped density tests of three excipients were performed by the BeDensi T3 Pro with 3 workstations. It is worthy of note that this highly efficient and economic tester is designed to meet the USP and EP standards fully.

Industrial Applications
Resins BeNano Series

Using BeNano 90 Zeta to measure the particle size and zeta potential of multicolor UV-sensitive resins

Multicolor UV-sensitive resins are widely used in the fields of 3D printing, inks, and paintings. When the size of the added particles is down to the nanoscale, many properties of the resin, such as dispersibility, uniformity, curing properties, glossiness, and brightness, will be improved greatly. However, the nanoparticles in resin are not always dispersed at the nanoscale as expected. BeNano 90 Zeta is a powerful tool for measuring the nanoparticle size and zeta potential to help in investigating the actual size of particles dispersed in resin and the dispersing stability.

Industrial
Applications
Pesticides Bettersizer ST

Application of Laser Particle Size System in Pesticide Industry

The particle size distribution of pesticides directly affects the trajectory of particle movement, surface energy and adhesion. This application note shows that the laser analyzer can not only optimize the component content in the formulation development, but also effectively monitor the particle size distribution of the pesticide in the process production to ensure the stability of product performance.

Industrial
Applications
Gypsum Bettersizer ST

Measuring Particle Size Distribution of Gypsum Using Laser Diffraction

The performance of gypsum such as setting time, compressive strength or density deeply relies on its particle size distribution. Bettersizer ST, an analyzer for quality control, allows the measurement of particle size distribution of gypsum. In this note, two gypsum samples were rapidly and accurately measured with Bettersizer ST. Outstanding repeatability was presented subsequently by measurements of a ground sample, which indicates its excellent reliability.

Industrial
Applications
Abrasives Bettersizer ST

Application of Laser Particle Size Analyzer in Quality Inspection of Silicon Carbide Abrasive Grains

The particle size distribution is one of the most important characteristics of abrasive grain products. In this application note, we will be looking at the particle size distribution of four batches of black silica carbide using a Bettersizer ST laser diffraction particle size analyzer. The stability of the production process can be evaluated by comparing the particle size distribution of abrasive grain products with each other. The particle size distribution of different abrasive grain products can be determined and be compared to ISO standards to determine if they are up to standard or not.

Industrial
Applications
Ceramic Powder Bettersizer ST

Analysis of Particle Size Distribution of Ceramic Powder Based on Laser Diffraction

During ceramic powder processing, the particle size distributions of powder, slurry and granule are different, which are necessary to be monitored. In this note, three forms of aluminium oxide, namely powder, slurry and granule were measured with the Bettersizer ST. And outstanding repeatability was demonstrated through the measurement of a granule sample.

Industrial
Applications
Calcium Carbonate Bettersizer ST

Measuring Particle Size Distribution of Calcium Carbonate Powders with Laser Diffraction Method

Over a wide range of industries, different functions require different particle size distributions of ground calcium carbonate powders. That is the reason why particle sizing is a vital step for quality control of ground calcium carbonate. In this investigation, particle size distributions of three different ground calcium carbonates were measured by the laser diffraction method. Typical size values and size distribution curves were compared to evaluate the quality and stability of the sizing process of the three samples.

Industrial
Applications
Pesticides Bettersizer ST

Inspect the Quality of Pesticides with Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer

From the key active ingredients to the final pesticide product, particle size is known to have an important role in the residual period, the biological activity, and the stability properties of pesticides. For this reason, measuring the particle size distribution plays a vital role in determining the quality of pesticides during QC inspection. In this application note, particle size distributions of suspension concentrate samples were measured by the laser diffraction method. Typical size values and size distribution curves were compared to evaluate the quality of pesticide samples and to help to optimize the milling process and produce a pesticide that is fit for the specific application.

Industrial
Applications
Lithium-ion Battery Bettersizer ST

Improving the Tapped Density of the Cathode Material to make a Lithium-ion Battery Hold More Energy

Tapped density is one of two important physical properties of electrode materials and affects the energy density of a Li-ion battery (LIB). The other important physical property is the particle size distribution which provides the appropriate information to optimize the grinding parameters during production. Improving the tapped density can also optimize the high- energy-density during LIB manufacture. Thus, it is necessary for the LIB producer to determine in advance, what is the most optimal and achievable tapped density and then using this parameter as the “gold standard” measure samples from the process during production until they match or come close to the “gold standard” measurement. The easy-to-use BeDensi T Pro series is an ideal tapped density tester because it is an economical device which delivers an exceptional performance with no compromises.

Industrial
Applications
Chinese Medicine Bettersizer 2600

Research on Particle Size Measurement of Chinese Medicine Powder by Laser Particle Size Analyser

The particle size and particle size distribution, which are related to the quality of the products and the safety of the drugs, are the important physical properties of the Chinese medicine powder. However, because of the irregularity and inhomogeneity of particle size, the results obtained by different measurement methods are different. Laser particle size measurement has been widely used in the determination of traditional Chinese medicine by its fast operation, wide measuring range, and good reproducibility. This paper focused on the principles and characteristics of laser particle size measurement and its application of Chinese medicine powder.

Industrial
Applications
Domperidone Bettersizer 2600

Research on Particle Sizing Dispersion Methods of Domperidone API by Laser Particle Size Analyser

For particle size distribution measurement of Domperidone API, both wet and dry dispersion methods could provide high precision results. However, since Domperidone API is fragile, adequate data support is required for sample dispersion, especially for dry dispersion method.

In this application note, compared with dry dispersion, wet dispersion was observed to provide data with better repeatability, correlation, and rationality. Therefore, wet dispersion method is relatively reasonable to analyse particle size distribution of Domperidone API.

Industrial
Applications
Lactose Bettersizer 2600

Research on Particle Size Measurement of Lactose by Laser Particle Size Analyser

Lactose is one of the most common kinds of tablet excipients. The USP has clear regulations on raw materials particle sizing by laser diffraction method, such as the structure and principle of the instrument, the specific method of dry and wet dispersions, the factors in the measurement process, etc. However, for specific lactose, there is no related instruction on how to choose the dispersive pressure and how to evaluate the results of dry and wet methods. This note carried out a systematic research on lactose particle size distribution measurement in accordance with the USP and the ISO 13320.

Industrial
Applications
Coffee Bettersizer 2600

Application of Laser Particle Size Analyzer in Coffee

This note explores the effects of coffee grinding method, particle size and particle size distribution on coffee quality, and introduces the measuring methods and principles for optimizing coffee particle size and particle size distribution. The study results show that the laser particle size analyzer can effectively analyze and monitor the particle size and particle size distribution of the coffee in the grinding process, ensuring the homogeneity of the product and improving the quality of the coffee and also contributing to quality control in the development and production of coffee grinding equipment.

Industrial
Applications
Cement Bettersizer 2600

Rapid Laboratory Particle Size Analysis of Cements Using Laser Diffraction

The large power demands of finish milling mean that improved monitoring of the grinding efficiency and optimization of the classifier speed yields an in-specification product with significant energy efficiency improvements and ultimately cost savings. This is best achieved by having a laser diffraction which is quick and easy to use with consistent repeatable results being attained no matter which operator is using the system. In addition, by having control standard results for each cement grade maintained inside the computer database, all newly produced cement for all grades can be compared in seconds to the ideal products fineness parameters. The Bettersizer 2600 has all this functionality in its software and provides the rapid laboratory fineness analysis to prove the cement meets the specifications and is thus fit for purpose.

Industrial
Applications
Powdered Milk Bettersizer 2600

Particle Size Analysis of Milk Powder by Laser Diffraction

In the production and application process of milk powder, the particle size of milk powder directly affects its final taste, sensory properties and quality characteristics. The Bettersizer 2600 can be used by milk powder manufacturers or relevant equipment manufacturers to accurately monitor the size changes of milk powder during production, packaging, storage and application process, as well as to better understand the relationship between dairy product formulation and quality.

Industrial
Applications
Pharmaceutical Bettersizer 2600

Particle Sizing with Dry Dispersion Can Be the Best Choice for Pharmaceutical Analysis

This paper looks at laser diffraction technology which when initially conceived only measured particle size by diluting a sample with a suitable diluent and pumped the mix through a sample measuring cell. It explains how the move away from using solvents encouraged the use of measuring sample dry rather than wet and explains what the barriers to dry measurement were and how they were overcome during a period of 25 years.

Pharmaceutical powders are generally considered to be some of the most cohesive a particle scientist will come across and generally are very demanding when using the wet method. In this paper we will demonstrate how a modern dry laser diffraction is able to analyse these cohesive samples and achieve reliable repeatable results with an eco-friendlier method.

Industrial
Applications
Mineral Pigment Bettersizer 2600

Particle Size of Mineral Pigment and Colour Hiding Power

Particle size variation in mineral pigments leads to different hiding power and diverse chromatic gradation, attributed to the light scattering effect. The Bettersizer 2600 can provide meticulous measurement of granularity and support in finding the optimal balance between particle size and desired hiding power, ensuring consistency in pigment and coating products.

Industrial
Applications
Battery Bettersizer 2600

Application of Laser Particle Size Analyser in Lithium Battery Cathode Materials

In order to achieve high energy storage, stability and safety performance, it is necessary to strictly control the particle size distributions of lithium battery cathode materials. Therefore, it is important for battery manufacturers to measure the particle size distribution of electrode materials quickly and easily, with the Bettersizer 2600 laser particle size analyser.

Industrial
Applications
Ceramic Powder Bettersizer 2600

Application of Laser Particle Size Analyser in Ceramic Powders

Accurate measurement of the particle size distribution of ceramic powders is extremely necessary in the production of modern ceramic components. It has been proved that the particle size and dispersibility of a ceramic powder can be determined by the Bettersizer 2600, and the test results have a high repeatability.

Industrial
Applications
Chocolate Bettersizer 2600

Particle Size Analyzing of Chocolate by Laser Diffraction

The manufacturing process and final characteristics of chocolate are significantly affected by particle size in many ways. As less production costs and better chocolate quality are desirable, only with the help of high-performance laser diffraction instruments, manufacturers are able to control particle size distribution of intermediates as well as final products in chocolate production in a highly efficient way. In this note, the measurements of chocolates of different types (dark, milk, white) from various countries were successfully performed by the Bettersizer 2600, and the particle size changes were displayed.

Industrial
Applications
Coffee Bettersizer 2600

Investigating the Relation Between Coffee Extraction and Ground Coffee Size

Particle size and size distributions of ground coffee significantly affect the extraction level and the flavor quality of brewed coffee. Monitoring the particle sizes and size distributions in ground coffees is necessary. In this note, different ground coffees were successfully characterized by the Bettersizer 2600, which is a sophisticated and reliable instrument that can provide particle sizing solutions to the coffee industries.

Industrial
Applications
Pigments Bettersizer 2600

Application of Laser Particle Size Analyser in Pigments

Coarse particles influence the color of pigments, and particle aggregation that occurred during storage reduces the stability of product performance. The Bettersizer 2600 enables the manufacturers to monitor the particle size and its distribution of pigments in the production and storage process. The instrument’s wide detection range and high resolution allow all pigments to be measured accurately, and ensure excellent batch-to-batch reproducibility.

Industrial
Applications
Differing Abrasives

Application of Image Particle Size & Shape Analysis System in Abrasive

This application note compares the particle size and particle shape distribution of different kinds of abrasive by laser scattering method and image method. The results show that the accuracy of particle size measurement results adopted by image method is better and coarser particle resolution is higher, which can effectively monitor the particle size, particle size distribution and ovality, circularity in the abrasive production process to ensure the uniformity of the product, thus improving the performance of the abrasive tool, therefore, the image method is one of the indispensable detection methods in the abrasive industry.

Industrial
Applications
3D Printing

Particle characterization for additive manufacturing: Analysis of the key parameters particle size and shape using only one instrument

Additive manufacturing (AM) also known as 3D printing, is taking off to produce a wide range of components more efficiently, sustainably, and cost-effectively. In order to achieve success, it is essential to accurately characterize raw materials, such as metal powders and polymer powders. To meet this need, Bettersizer S3 Plus offers characterization solutions. In this app note, we explained the importance of particle size and shape characterization for raw materials and analyze the key parameters using only one instrument.

Industrial
Applications
Abrasives

Combining Laser Diffraction with Dynamic Image Analysis to Improve the Characterization of Abrasives

Size is not enough to ensure the consistency of abrasives and it is well known within the abrasives industry that the shape of the particles is equally as significant a parameter to control. The Bettersizer S3 Plus has proven to be able to characterize the size and shape of the abrasives simultaneously and provide much more information than conventional laser diffraction analyzers.

Industrial
Applications
Soils and Sediments

Exploring Size and Shape on Soils and Sediments of the Moon, the Earth and the Ocean

Soil and sediment analysis is essential for human beings, which provides fingerprints to their origin. The main categories of soil and sediment analysis include hydrology and geology studies. Particle size and shape are challenging in soil and sediment analysis. Why? Soil samples are polymorphic and always cover a wide size distribution range. The Bettersizer S3 Plus analyzes the particle size over a wide range from 0.01 μm to 3.5 mm, fully meeting the needs of soil and sediment size measurements. This application note will focus on three different applications covering lunar regolith, desert, and marine sediments and explore the differences of particle size and shapes in three samples.

Industrial
Applications
Lithium-Ion Batteries

Investigating the Particle Size and Shape Influences on Anode Energy Density of Lithium-Ion Batteries

The lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely used in
variety of applications due to its advantages of long storage
life, no memory effect, and low self-discharge rate. With the
rapid increasing demands of LIBs in electrical products, the
production of higher energy-density batteries has attained
manufacturers’ attention because of the needs of storing
more energy.
The energy density of the anode can be significantly
improved by optimizing the particle size and shape of the
graphite