Laboratory Services: Surface Area Analysis with Meritics

Surface area analysis is one of the leading particle measurement techniques for characterising the behaviour of solid samples. The surface area of a solid particle represents its primary interface with other media, including gaseous and liquid molecules. It is, therefore, a crucial parameter in the determination of a particle’s adsorption and dissolution characteristics.

Typically, surface area analysis is carried out using gas adsorption measurements to determine the volume of gas that a particle can absorb at pressure. These instruments are highly-specialised and represent a significant up-front investment. Often, it is more cost-effective to achieve surface area measurements using dedicated laboratory services.

Gas Adsorption Laboratory Services

Meritics has established a high-throughput application laboratory with facilities designed to accommodate an array of particle measurement technologies. We are equipped to perform reliable surface area analysis of solid samples with typical turnarounds of within one working week. The speed of our laboratory services does not compromise the quality of our results. We perform multi-point surface area analysis according to Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory, using the Horiba SA-9600 or the Thermo Scientific Surfer.

The Horiba SA-9600 is a robust surface analyser capable of performing single- and multi-point measurements of particles from 0.10 to >2000 square meters per gram (m²/g). Samples are submerged in a bath, or a continuous stream, of inert gas such as nitrogen (N₂). The amount of desorbed gas is measured and calculated against a baseline to determine the solid’s surface area as a function of adsorption.

The Thermo Scientific Surfer operates on the principle of static volumetric gas adsorption to measure the interaction between solid particles and a gas dosage. It represents unmatched sensitivity for measuring extremely low and non-porous sample types, with a unique manifold responsible for minimizing the dead volume in the sample chamber. This speeds up the measuring process and enables more cost-effective surface area analysis.

Our laboratory services incorporate each of these cutting-edge techniques, supporting quantitative measurements of solid particle surface areas to determine bioavailability, reactivity, catalytic activity, and much more.

Laboratory Services from Meritics

Meritics is one of the UK’s leading authorities in particle measurement techniques for R&D, product quality control (QC), and ongoing process monitoring. We offer in-house application support for customers in unique areas of research, with an experienced team qualified with over 100 years of combined experience in providing laboratory services.

If you require more robust support, we can offer operator training programmes and contract testing to supplement your own operations and help you achieve the next level in terms of manufacturing, research, or operation capacity. Alongside our surface area analyser capabilities, we are also prepared to perform comprehensive particle size measurements using multiple measurement technologies.

If you would like to learn more about our laboratory services, read our previous post Sample Analysis: Particle Size Measurements with Meritics. Or, contact us directly to talk about your application requirements.