Phase-resolved particle size distribution: New insight into material characterization

• The instrument is able to measure the particle size distribution for solid multi-phase systems.
• The obtained analytical information is not achievable using any other instrument.
• The method highlights interaction between nanoparticles in suspension.
• The equipment is available to every researcher at the Material Science beamline, SLS-PSI.

Particle size distribution (PSD) is a relevant property of powdered solid matter since it directly influences the functionality of solid products such as pharmaceutics, cosmetics, abrasives, ceramics, metals, pigments, catalysts, and chemical reactants. Several methods and techniques, based on various physical laws, are available to determine the PSD. In all the existing approaches particulate matter homogeneity is assumed, e.g. unique chemical composition, crystalline phases, refractive index, density, and shape for the entire population of particles. A real sample might be a mixture of a number of materials, each of them with well-defined physical properties and particle size distributions. The simultaneous measurement of particle size and particle nature is still not achievable with the existing technologies. Here we present the concept and the results of a new experimental setup able to simultaneously combine PSD and X-ray powder diffraction. The obtained analytical information is the phase-resolved particle size distribution (PR-PSD) of the solid matter in suspension.

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