The particle size or distribution of a powder, suspension, or emulsion is generally a very important product parameter. Due to the wide variety of materials and products, there are numerous measurement methods on the market that are more or less suitable for a specific application, depending on the task at hand. An essential selection criterion here is the appropriate measuring range. 3P offers four methods that cover the following particle size ranges:
Laser diffraction offers a very wide range of applications for determining the particle size distribution of a dry powder or particles dispersed in a liquid medium (dispersion) in the submicron to lower millimeter range: Typical applications include color pigments, cements, ceramic powders, microemulsions, and polymers. The method is based on the measurement of an angle-dependent scattered light spectrum, so the sample must be optically translucent and can be fed, for example, by means of pump technology (dispersion) or compressed air (dry powder). 3P Instruments offers three device series depending on the application:
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| Bettersizer S3 series Particle size-Laser diffraction (ISO 13320:2020) Measurement range 0,01 – 3500 µm1 Wet dispersion | Bettersizer 2600 Particle size-Laser diffraction (ISO 13320:2020) Measurement range 0,02 – 2600 µm2 Wet- + dry dispersion |
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| Bettersizer ST Particle size-Laser diffraction (ISO 13320:2020) Measurement range 0,1 – 1000 µm Wet dispersion | DeepSizer 300 Particle size-Laser diffraction (ISO 13320:2020) Measurement range 0,1 – 2000 µm Wet – mobile use in water |
1This device series also features a CCD camera system with a choice of 1 or high-speed CCD cameras and a maximum measuring range of 2–3500 µm, which can also be used for particle shape analysis.
2This device, in wet dispersion, can optionally be upgraded with the CCD camera system PIC-1 with 2 high-speed CCD cameras and a maximum measuring range of 2–3500 µm, which can also be used for particle shape analysis.
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) or photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS) is ideal for measuring the size of very small particles (nano to lower micrometer range) that have a low density (e.g., latices, proteins, pharmaceutical agents). Since this method measures the diffusion coefficient of particles undergoing Brownian motion using the intensity fluctuation of the scattered radiation, the process is limited to liquid dispersions and measurement in a static cell (without stirring/pumping).
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| BeNano series Particle size-DLS (ISO 22412) Measurement range 0,3 nm – 15 µm |
Image analysis is always an interesting particle size measurement method if the particles exhibit a certain degree of shape anisotropy, i.e., when they are rod- or plate-shaped, when larger particles are involved, or when statistically very underrepresented populations are sought in the collective (oversize analysis, detection of particles of special shape, etc.). 3P Instruments offers both devices based on dynamic image analysis, in which the particles are recorded in motion, and static image analysis systems.
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| BeVision D2 Particle size-Dynamic image analysis (ISO 13322-2) Measurement range 30 – 10000 µm Dry dispersion | Bettersizer S3 Plus Particle size-Dynamic image analysis ISO 13322-2) Measurement range 2 – 3500 µm Wet dispersion | BeVision M1 Particle size-Static image analysis (ISO 13322-1) Measurement range 0,3 – 10000 µm Wet and dry dispersion |
Acoustic spectrometry is a method for determining the particle size distribution in concentrated liquid dispersions, particularly of hard particles in the nano- or lower micrometer range. The method is based on specific interactions between ultrasonic waves – coupled into the liquid system – and the dispersed particles in the frequency range of 1-100 MHz range. The method is particularly suitable for investigating original concentrated suspensions in the ceramics, building materials, or energy sectors (battery or fuel cell development) and for nanoparticle analysis.
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DT-100/DT-110 | DT-1202/DT-1210 |
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