Nanotechnology: Companies team to promote nanoparticle analysis

By Control Engineering Staff September 19, 2006

Hillsboro, OR— Advanced nanoparticle analysis is taking a leap forward thanks to the combined efforts of a hardware and a software firm. FEI Co . and UK-based Malvern Instruments Ltd . have entered into a joint development and marketing program for advanced nanoparticle analysis using Malvern’s particle image analysis software on FEI’s line of Quanta scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The result is a particle analysis system that extends current technologies for nanosized particles. The bundled product is expected to be released late this year.

The software is already used on Malvern systems that encompass traditional optical microscopes. They provide rapid data on particle size and morphology, and distribution profiles for quality control and manufacturing applications. Current uses include rationalizing batch-to-batch variation of materials, identifying crystal polymorphisms, and identifying foreign bodies.

“As the size of materials used in product development and manufacturing continues to move from the microscale into the nanoscale, there is an increasing need for characterization tools that move beyond the limits of light microscopy,” said Matt Harris, FEI’s vice president of worldwide marketing and business development. “This combination of technologies provides a powerful process and quality control tool for a growing number of nano-enabled products that are moving into production.”

Interested in this topic? Read this from Control Engineering: ” The Amazing World of Nanotechnology “

—Control Engineering Daily News Desk Jeanine Katzel , senior editor


Related Resources