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Posted on 07 May 2015 | 08:59
GenRH Employed for Cellulose Deuteration with In-Situ FTIR
By Jan Gorgol
Cellulose is the main component of cell walls from plants, making it the most abundant organic polymer on Earth! Cellulosic biomass forms supramolecular structures comprising cellulose crystals as well as disordered, water-accessible fractions.
Posted on 30 April 2015 | 09:00
Effects of Humidity and Moisture Degradation on High Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells
By Jan Gorgol
The photovoltaic effect is the creation of a voltage in a material upon exposure to sunlight; it is how a solar cell converts sunlight into electricity. It was first observed by Becquerel in 1839. However it was not until the advent of Silicon technology’s in the 1950’s that photovoltaic cells were mass produced, exhibiting power conversion efficiencies greater than 10%.
Posted on 08 April 2015 | 09:00
Humidity Control and Pharmaceutical Tablet Coating
By Dr Jeremy Wingate | Rotronic Instruments (UK) Ltd.
Pharmaceutical tablet coating involves the application of a coating composition to a moving bed of tablets with the use of heated air to facilitate the evaporation of the solvent. Several different types of coating are typically used.
Posted on 23 Feb 2015 | 11:32
Effects of Humidity on Nano-fibers, Micromanipulation and Tissue Engineering
By Jan Gorgol
Humidity has huge effects on fiber and particle adhesion and micro-manipulating them in a broad variety of areas. Just a few of the areas where researchers have looked at such effects include manipulation of wood fibers , micro encapsulation of perfumes and drugs, effects of humidity on electrospun replacement tissue for damaged ear membranes and resistivity effects in carbon fiber polymer-matrix composites.
Posted on 08 Oct 2014 | 09:00
Surface Energy of Nanomaterials
By Dr Daniel Burnett
The use of nanomaterials as composite reinforcing materials has shown significant interest in recent years. Both carbon nanotubes and clay nanoparticles have been studied as a means to improve composite properties
Posted on 02 Sep 2014 | 12:23
A Brief History of DVS and It’s Uses
By Dr Jürgen Dienstmaier
The Dynamic Vapour Sorption Instrument (or DVS for short) was developed as a response to the pharmaceutical and industrial researcher’s need for fast and effective analytical methods to determine a material’s moisture content and related sorption isotherms.
Before the invention of the DVS, water sorption isotherms were obtained from a process known as the “Jar Method” or desiccator method. It was a slow and tedious process that took weeks, if not months, to achieve results. In short, the older method created a fixed water activity/relative humidity within a sealed container or jar by use of a salt slurry beneath a sample platform while maintaining the container at constant temperature.
Posted on 06 Aug 2014 | 14:44
Use of DVS techniques for Establishing Compatibility of Old and New Building Materials
By Manaswini Acharya
Damage due to ingress and retention of moisture in building materials plays a significant role in limiting the life of the building. When renovation or rehabilitation work is taken up in an old structure it is important to investigate the moisture ingress properties of used building materials in the old structure as well as those in respect of restoration materials. Compatibility of new and old materials is desirable in principle. When compatible materials with identical moisture holding capacity and thermal expansion properties are used in repair works, the combination acts well against hydration and humidification alleviating concerns of deterioration with advance of time.
Characterization of Nanomaterials by Vapor Sorption Techniques
By Dr Majid Naderi
In recent years, the study and applications of nanomaterials have gained tremendous interest, due to their electronic, thermal, mechanical, optical, and magnetic properties, creating potential applications in a wide range of fields, including electronics, energy conversion / storage, sensing, and drug delivery. These materials are energetically inhomogeneous, exhibiting various surface sites, such as structural defects or specific functional groups.
Microscopy and Moisture
By Jan Gorgol
Moisture affects a huge range of diverse materials in very broad industries and research areas.
One of the many tools used in characterising the effects of moisture is Microscopy , ranging from common microscopes such as light microscopies using dark-field, light field or cross-polarisation to Raman, FTIR microscopy’s and more esoteric imaging techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy, 3D X-Ray Tomography or even PAM (photo acoustic microscopy).
What is Surface Energy and Why Measure It?
By Dr Daryl Williams
Ever since our company invented a Surface Energy Analyser 2 years ago, I have been often asked the question what is surface energy? Why should I measure it and what will I learn if I do?
Kinetic of Water Diffusion
By Dr Jürgen Dienstmaier
Water vapor is one of the components of the Earth’s atmosphere. Although it is present in relatively small quantities when compared to other gases, it is found everywhere on the planet, even in the driest of places.
