Malvern Instruments' Mastersizer 3000 used to Develop High Performance Nanostructured Carbon for Energy Storage

EnerG2, a company working at the forefront of developing nanostructured carbons for energy storage, is using a Mastersizer 3000 laser diffraction particle size analyzer from Malvern Instruments to measure and characterize its high performance products. Particle size distribution directly impacts the energy storage characteristics of the carbon and the Mastersizer 3000’s high resolution sizing capability allows designers to manufacture materials to exactly meet stringent customer requirements.

"The benefits of using the Mastersizer 3000 have exceeded our expectations and have helped us to achieve our goals in creating precise, stable particle size distributions across all of our product lines. It is, in short, a critical element of our quality control processes," said Chad Goodwin, Research Engineer, EnerG2.

EnerG2 controls and modulates the physical, chemical and electrochemical properties of high-purity carbon within a full-scale manufacturing environment using proprietary, patented technology. By monitoring and specifying pore-size distribution, the company produces nanostructured materials with performance that far surpasses the carbons used in regular energy storage applications, to support the evolution of next-generation energy storage solutions. These find application in a variety of new electrochemical storage technologies, including lead acid batteries and ultra capacitors.

EnerG2’s customers demand and receive tight control over the quality of the products delivered to them. Particle size distribution is one of the variables that defines performance, with the wrong distribution diminishing the value of the carbon in a customer’s device. The Mastersizer 3000 is applied as a quality control tool to ensure that all products have a precisely controlled, stable, particle size distribution.

The Mastersizer 3000’s appeal for Energ2 came in part from the high levels of sensitivity it offers and the efficiency with which it handles wet analysis, a prerequisite for these very fine, highly cohesive powders. High resolution in the submicron particle range allows for confident measurements across various materials and particle types and makes the Mastersizer 3000 an excellent fit for EnerG2’s quality control requirements.

The Mastersizer 3000 is the latest addition to the long established Mastersizer range which has found widespread application throughout industry. A full range of accessories enable fast and efficient, wet or dry laser diffraction measurement. These are exemplified by the Hydro LV used by Energ2, which is especially well suitable for the precise measurement of large sample sizes or polydisperse materials.