The field of materials analysis includes a number of different methods of determining the properties of a given material as well as the particles which form the material. A particle analyzer is just one of the many instruments used in the study of the properties of various materials, such as size, shape, density, mass and even porosity of materials. Porosimetry is the study of the porosity of materials, which like the other methodologies collectively referred to as particle analysis provide data which is crucial to product and process research and development, quality control and testing applications.
There are many different technologies in use to study the properties of particles, with some better suited to providing quantitative or qualitative analysis of the properties of different substances; for instance, some methods are a better choice for analyzing a liquid sample than a solid one or a solid one as opposed to a gaseous material.
A particle analyzer may actually refer to any instrument used in weighing, sizing, porosimetry, or other means of determining the properties of a sample. However, the term is used largely in reference to either instruments which analyze samples with the aim of determining particle size or those which gather information about other properties through laser diffraction or imaging technologies. Usually, of course those who specialize in materials analysis work will use the specific term relevant to the instrument or the technique used, but for a layman’s purposes, the generic term of particle analyzer is sufficient to satisfy the curiosity of most (if not cause eyes to glaze over in bewilderment).
The exact method used, whether laser diffraction, porosimetry or less technologically advanced techniques such as sieve analysis is largely dependent on the material being analyzed and the specific needs of the related application in terms of accuracy and resolution. as stated above, some techniques are more or less suitable for certain sample types and these different methodologies offer greater or lesser levels of resolution and accuracy.
Among the most commonly used types of particle analyzer are those using the laser diffraction method, which can determine size. The angle and degree of diffraction produced by a stream of the material being as it passes through a laser are measured, producing data on particle, though sensitivity depends on the number and placement of detectors in the instrument.
Other methods are aimed at providing information on other properties. Porosimetry is used to determine the permeability of a material, data which has useful applications in a variety of industrial product research and development processes as well as in other fields including the pharmaceutical production sector. Using high pressures, a dry liquid (most commonly mercury) is forced into the material being studied. The results which this method yield reveal the pore size of the material, which is useful in understanding the material’s level of permeability and resistance to moisture.
Whether in the form of a laser diffraction instrument, the sieves used in analyzing particle size, porosimeters or any other type of particle analyzer, the instruments which can reveal the physical properties of materials provide valuable information which has made many of the consumer products we take for granted possible and enables progress towards the technological breakthroughs of the future.
