Analyzer to enable high-resolution scanning isotherms for a better understanding of porous materials

Micromeritics Instrument Corporation today announced it has awarded the University of Hamburg one of its 3Flex Surface Characterization Analyzers which is one of the most advanced physisorption instruments in the market. The 3Flex will benefit Prof. Dr. Michael Fröba’s group at the Institute of Inorganic and Applied Chemistry which is well-known for research in materials science with a strong focus on nanoporous materials and their usage in energy storage applications and the investigation of confinement effects.

Micromeritics President, Preston Hendrix, said the award was granted specifically in recognition of the “valuable research contributions to material development and characterization” by the University’s Institute of Inorganic and Applied Chemistry under the direction of renowned Prof. Dr. Fröba.

We are confident the 3Flex Surface Characterization Analyzer will be a valuable asset to the Department’s research group and will provide significant and new insights for the understanding of new nanoporous materials for energy storage,” said Hendrix. “The instrument will enable the Institute to do high-resolution scanning isotherms a relatively new topic that Prof. Fröba has expressed great interest in.”

Being an expert in the field of storing renewable energies, Prof. Fröba expects the 3Flex to help getting a better understanding of confinement effects in nanopores and their impact on the properties of guest compounds in the gaseous, liquid or solid state as the advanced design of the 3Flex allows to acquire high-resolution isotherms and starts in the 10-6 torr range (10-9 relative pressure range for N2).

“Particularly high-quality measurements and interpretation of gas physisorption data as well as understanding the properties of nanoconfined water, aqueous salt solutions and solvent mixtures play an important role in our research”, Prof. Fröba explains. “The demand for highly accurate measurements has increased in the past years, even more though since hysteresis scanning measurements open up a much more detailed understanding of the various synthesized pore systems. Here, the 3Flex Analyzer offers great potential for our scientific questions in the future.”

The instrument comes with a Micromeritics Vapor Sorption option, which allows Prof. Fröba to also run water vapor experiments. It also includes the standard instrument warranty and application methods development support.

About Micromeritics Instrument Corporation

Micromeritics Instrument Corporation is a global provider of solutions for material characterization with best-in-class instrumentation and application expertise in five core areas: density; surface area and porosity; particle size and shape; powder characterization; and catalyst characterization and process development. Founded in 1962, the company has its headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, USA and more than 300 employees worldwide. With a fully integrated operation that extends from a world class scientific knowledge base through to in-house manufacture, Micrometrics delivers an extensive range of high-performance products for academic research and industrial problem-solving.

Micromeritics’ customer-centric approach is evident from tactical partnerships that incubate and deliver valuable new technologies and strategic acquisitions to develop integrated solutions in the industrially vital areas of powders and catalysis. These acquisitions include Freeman Technology Ltd, a company with market-leading powder testing technology, and Process Integral Development S.L. (PID Eng & Tech), a highly-experienced provider of automated, modular microreactor systems. A cost-efficient contract testing laboratory – the Particle Testing Authority (PTA) - supplies material characterization services using Micromeritics’ instrumentation alongside complementary solutions from other vendors.

A network of offices across the Americas, Asia, and Europe, along with dedicated distributors in additional geographies, ensures that every customer has local, knowledgeable support. Micromeritics works across a diverse range of industries from oil processing, petrochemicals and catalysts, to food and pharmaceuticals, and at the forefront of characterization technology for next generation materials such as graphene, metal-organic-frameworks, nanocatalysts, and zeolites. Engineering solutions that work optimally for every user is a defining characteristic of the company.