The Aero enables users to measure materials from cement to coffee, cohesive minerals to fragile pharmaceuticals, from 0.1 micron up to 3.5mm in the dry state. Rapid and efficient, this new dispersion unit is supported by fast data acquisition rates. Dry measurements become stable more quickly, and even challenging samples with very wide size distributions are measured accurately, the Malvern, Worcestershire-based firm says.
Dry dispersion of powders is a fast and environmentally neutral (no requirement for the disposal of liquid dispersants) approach to sample preparation for laser diffraction particle sizing. However, its application to fragile, friable particles is constrained by the need to apply enough energy for dispersion without breaking or milling the sample.
To accommodate this, the Aero features a modular dispersion venturi system, which is suitable for a wide range of samples and disperses even moderately cohesive materials while maintaining the integrity of fragile particles.
An optional venturi, which disperses the sample with a direct impaction mechanism, can be used for more aggressive break up of agglomerates and highly cohesive materials.
Pressure control to within +/-0.1 bar across the range 0.1 to 4 bar allows precise tailoring of energy input to meet diverse sample requirements. There are different feed trays and hoppers to accommodate various sample sizes, while an enclosed cell ensures bias-free measurement and minimises user exposure.
The 10KHz data acquisition rate of the Mastersizer 3000 delivers accurate measurement, even at fast sample feed rates. All the parameters controlling dry powder measurement, such as sample feed rate, dispersion and system cleaning, are controlled through the software. Real-time feedback helps streamline both method development and routine measurement.
