Novel characterisation platform for formulation industry
We propose a novel platform for particle characterisation in diverse applications making use of colloidal suspensions. These are ubiquitous in applications across many sectors: agriculture, food, household and personal care goods, paints and coatings, oil, water treatment, etc.. In other applications, the role of suspensions is less obvious, but no less vital: molten chocolate is a suspension of sugar crystals in oil, while all ceramics start as particulate pastes (of, e.g. titania) before sintering. Particle characterisation is key to research, development and manufacturing in all of these industries. Our technique is based on the fast and accurate measurement of the dynamics of particles suspended in a liquid, which we have been developing in a current ERC Advance Grant. Our platform is unique in its speed, facility of operation and range of applications.