Company type | Private Incorporated |
---|---|
Industry | Instrumentation |
Founded | 1996 [1] |
Headquarters | Bedford Hills, New York [2] |
Key people | Andrei Dukhin, CEO |
Website | www.dispersion.com |
Dispersion Technology Inc is a scientific instrument manufacturer located in Bedford Hills, New York. [1] It was founded in 1996 by Philip Goetz (former chairman, retired in 2010) and Dr. Andrei Dukhin (current CEO). [3] The company develops and sells analytical instruments intended for characterizing concentrated dispersions and emulsions, complying with the International Standards for acoustic particle sizing ISO 20998 [4] [5] and electroacoustic zeta potential measurement ISO 13099. [6]
Dispersion Technology manufactures a family of ultrasound-based instruments for measuring particle size, zeta potential, high frequency rheology, and solid content in concentrated systems without diluting them. [7]
Founders Dukhin and Goetz have written two books published by Elsevier describing the details of these methods, underlying theories, and applications of the instruments manufactured by Dispersion Technology. [8]
Co-Founder Dr. Andrei Dukhin and his father Dr. Stanislav Dukhin were the subject of a 2009 feature in the American Chemical Society documenting their research done in the former Soviet Union; their contributions to the fields of electrokinetics, colloid science, DLVO theory, etc.; and their immigration to the United States as a part of the Soviet Scientists Immigration Act of 1992. [3]
Dispersion Technology maintains seven patents in the United States, [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] and has representation in Japan, [15] Russia, [16] Europe, [17] Brazil, [18] South Korea, [19] China, [17] and Canada. [20]
Scientific papers have been published using instruments manufactured by Dispersion Technology to study the following kinds of systems:
A colloid is a mixture in which one substance consisting of microscopically dispersed insoluble particles is suspended throughout another substance. Some definitions specify that the particles must be dispersed in a liquid, while others extend the definition to include substances like aerosols and gels. The term colloidal suspension refers unambiguously to the overall mixture. A colloid has a dispersed phase and a continuous phase. The dispersed phase particles have a diameter of approximately 1 nanometre to 1 micrometre.
Electrophoresis is the motion of charged dispersed particles or dissolved charged molecules relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. As a rule, these are zwitterions.
In chemistry, a suspension is a heterogeneous mixture of a fluid that contains solid particles sufficiently large for sedimentation. The particles may be visible to the naked eye, usually must be larger than one micrometer, and will eventually settle, although the mixture is only classified as a suspension when and while the particles have not settled out.
Zeta potential is the electrical potential at the slipping plane. This plane is the interface which separates mobile fluid from fluid that remains attached to the surface.
A surface charge is an electric charge present on a two-dimensional surface. These electric charges are constrained on this 2-D surface, and surface charge density, measured in coulombs per square meter (C•m−2), is used to describe the charge distribution on the surface. The electric potential is continuous across a surface charge and the electric field is discontinuous, but not infinite; this is unless the surface charge consists of a dipole layer. In comparison, the potential and electric field both diverge at any point charge or linear charge.
A dispersion is a system in which distributed particles of one material are dispersed in a continuous phase of another material. The two phases may be in the same or different states of matter.
Electroacoustic phenomena arise when ultrasound propagates through a fluid containing ions. The associated particle motion generates electric signals because ions have electric charge. This coupling between ultrasound and electric field is called electroacoustic phenomena. The fluid might be a simple Newtonian liquid, or complex heterogeneous dispersion, emulsion or even a porous body. There are several different electroacoustic effects depending on the nature of the fluid.
The Dukhin number is a dimensionless quantity that characterizes the contribution of the surface conductivity to various electrokinetic and electroacoustic effects, as well as to electrical conductivity and permittivity of fluid heterogeneous systems. The number was named after Stanislav and Andrei Dukhin.
In surface science, a double layer is a structure that appears on the surface of an object when it is exposed to a fluid. The object might be a solid particle, a gas bubble, a liquid droplet, or a porous body. The DL refers to two parallel layers of charge surrounding the object. The first layer, the surface charge, consists of ions which are adsorbed onto the object due to chemical interactions. The second layer is composed of ions attracted to the surface charge via the Coulomb force, electrically screening the first layer. This second layer is loosely associated with the object. It is made of free ions that move in the fluid under the influence of electric attraction and thermal motion rather than being firmly anchored. It is thus called the "diffuse layer".
Surface conductivity is an additional conductivity of an electrolyte in the vicinity of the charged interfaces. Surface and volume conductivity of liquids correspond to the electrically driven motion of ions in an electric field. A layer of counter ions of the opposite polarity to the surface charge exists close to the interface. It is formed due to attraction of counter-ions by the surface charges. This layer of higher ionic concentration is a part of the interfacial double layer. The concentration of the ions in this layer is higher as compared to the ionic strength of the liquid bulk. This leads to the higher electric conductivity of this layer.
Electrokinetic phenomena are a family of several different effects that occur in heterogeneous fluids, or in porous bodies filled with fluid, or in a fast flow over a flat surface. The term heterogeneous here means a fluid containing particles. Particles can be solid, liquid or gas bubbles with sizes on the scale of a micrometer or nanometer. There is a common source of all these effects—the so-called interfacial 'double layer' of charges. Influence of an external force on the diffuse layer generates tangential motion of a fluid with respect to an adjacent charged surface. This force might be electric, pressure gradient, concentration gradient, or gravity. In addition, the moving phase might be either continuous fluid or dispersed phase.
Interface and colloid science is an interdisciplinary intersection of branches of chemistry, physics, nanoscience and other fields dealing with colloids, heterogeneous systems consisting of a mechanical mixture of particles between 1 nm and 1000 nm dispersed in a continuous medium. A colloidal solution is a heterogeneous mixture in which the particle size of the substance is intermediate between a true solution and a suspension, i.e. between 1–1000 nm. Smoke from a fire is an example of a colloidal system in which tiny particles of solid float in air. Just like true solutions, colloidal particles are small and cannot be seen by the naked eye. They easily pass through filter paper. But colloidal particles are big enough to be blocked by parchment paper or animal membrane.
Colloid vibration current is an electroacoustic phenomenon that arises when ultrasound propagates through a fluid that contains ions and either solid particles or emulsion droplets.
Electric sonic amplitude or electroacoustic sonic amplitude is an electroacoustic phenomenon that is the reverse to colloid vibration current. It occurs in colloids, emulsions and other heterogeneous fluids under the influence of an oscillating electric field. This field moves particles relative to the liquid, which generates ultrasound.
The ion vibration current (IVI) and the associated ion vibration potential is an electric signal that arises when an acoustic wave propagates through a homogeneous fluid.
Sedimentation potential occurs when dispersed particles move under the influence of either gravity or centrifugation or electricity in a medium. This motion disrupts the equilibrium symmetry of the particle's double layer. While the particle moves, the ions in the electric double layer lag behind due to the liquid flow. This causes a slight displacement between the surface charge and the electric charge of the diffuse layer. As a result, the moving particle creates a dipole moment. The sum of all of the dipoles generates an electric field which is called sedimentation potential. It can be measured with an open electrical circuit, which is also called sedimentation current.
Zeta potential titration is a titration of heterogeneous systems, for example colloids and emulsions. Solids in such systems have very high surface area. This type of titration is used to study the zeta potential of these surfaces under different conditions. Details of zeta potential definition and measuring techniques can be found in the International Standard.
Ultrasound attenuation spectroscopy is a method for characterizing properties of fluids and dispersed particles. It is also known as acoustic spectroscopy.
Particle size is a notion introduced for comparing dimensions of solid particles, liquid particles (droplets), or gaseous particles (bubbles). The notion of particle size applies to particles in colloids, in ecology, in granular material, and to particles that form a granular material.
A dispersant or a dispersing agent is a substance, typically a surfactant, that is added to a suspension of solid or liquid particles in a liquid to improve the separation of the particles and to prevent their settling or clumping.