Shaw, who started his work in polymer research 17 years ago at Georgia Tech, brings extensive experience to PTA - formally known as Micromeritics Analytical Services (MAS) - in thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for various applications, but especially for polymer characterisation.
PTA General Manager, Greg Thiele, indicated they have been using thermal analysis to examine thermal stability and residual content in filtration and catalyst applications, but with Bryan’s in-depth background in polymer characterisation, PTA can now utilise DSC and TGA to provide characterisation services in a much wider scope of applications. More information can be found at particletesting.com/thermal-analysis.
“Thermal analysis complements the services that PTA already provides to its customers,” said Thiele.
“In addition to physical properties such as size distribution, pore volume distribution, porosity, and density our pharmaceutical customers are also interested in polymorph analysis, eutectic purity and loss on drying of their APIs."
"Many of the materials we analyse are also polymeric, so employing TGA and DSC will allow us to provide our customers with compositional analysis and the identification and quantification of thermal transitions such as glass transition, melting point, curing, crystallisation and decomposition.”
The Micromeritics division has recently bolstered its total capabilities with the edition of a Freeman Technology FT4 Powder Rheometer, a universal powder tester, which uses bulk, dynamic flow, shear, and process methodologies to quantify powder properties in terms of flowability, aeration, permeability, compressibility, shear strength and wall friction.
Additionally, PTA acquired a Mastersizer 3000 from Malvern Panalytical to continually serve its customers with the most current particle sizing instrumentation available.
Thiele added that PTA will be utilising its expertise in method development and validation to perform method transfers and validations for customers who have (or will be) upgrading from the Mastersizer 2000 to the 3000.