Application Note: Particle Size Distribution Analysis Of Porous Powders Using The Saturn DigiSizer 5200

Porous powders find application in many industries these days. These range from catalysts to pharmaceuticals; from environmental cleanup to liquid chromatography. Not only is it important to know the pore size distribution of these powders, but it is also crucial to have a reliable particle size distribution analysis of these materials. In general, these analyses can be performed in much the same way as analyses of nonporous particles. When using laser-scattering particle size analysis, however, a few additional precautions are necessary.

Laser light scattering has been used for particle size analysis for more than 30 years. In 2000, Micromeritics introduced the Saturn DigiSizer® 5200 High-Definition Digital Laser Particle Size Analyzer, the first such instrument to utilize a CCD detector for high-resolution particle size distribution analysis. Because of the high level of resolution and sensitivity of this analyzer, particle size results are influenced by all types of light scatter phenomenon, including some not related to size but rather to the morphology of the particle.