Micromeritics will be launching the 3Flex fully automated surface characterisation analyser at Pittcon 2014.
The three-station instrument is capable of high-performance physisorption, mesopore, micropore, and chemisorption analyses with accuracy, resolution, and data reduction. Each analysis station is upgradeable from mesopore to micropore with the option of designating one station for chemisorption analyses.
All analysis stations can be configured for krypton analysis of low surface area materials. Vapour sorption capability is standard.
3Flex has a compact footprint and is claimed to eliminate costly investment in multiple instruments and additional bench space. Potential applications include the characterisation of MOFs, zeolites, activated carbons, adsorbents and a wide variety of porous and non-porous materials.
The analyser contains many design features aimed at ensuring high performance and advancement in surface characterisation instrumentation. Each of the stations is capable of achieving very low absolute pressures as a result of the design and construction of the manifold and its connection to a high-vacuum system.
The manifold and embedded control provide an ultra-stable environment for pressure and temperature measurements, extending the limits of resolution. Pneumatically actuated, hard seal valves and metal seals provide ultra-clean operation.
Chemically resistive surfaces also allow the use of a greater selection of adsorptives. A saturation pressure station with dedicated pressure transducer enables continuous monitoring of saturation pressure.
Using the chemisorption option, the 3Flex can be configured to perform chemical adsorption analyses that enable the gathering of valuable information about the active properties of catalysts, catalyst support, and a variety of other materials.
A flow-through sample cell and ultra-clean valves provide in situ activation while maintaining high-quality vacuum levels. In situ preparation and activation deliver a fully automated method that does not require user intervention and fully integrates activation and analysis into one application.
A high-precision mass flow controller, high-temperature furnace, quartz cell, heated exhaust port, and twelve gas inlets are all standard with this option. The design permits rapid transition from a chemisorption arrangement to a micropore configuration.
The 3Flex also includes enhanced software capabilities, data reduction features, and instrument monitoring. Its advanced dosing method allows the user to mix both pressure and volume increments.
Convenient access to real-time instrument performance indicators and maintenance scheduling information is possible via the innovative dashboard.
Click-and-drag calculation bars featured on MicroActive for 3Flex software give users the ability to quickly fit a model to isotherm data, reducing the time required to obtain surface area, porosity, and chemisorption results.
It is not necessary to generate reports to view results – see it graphically and interactively on the screen. User-selectable data ranges through the graphic interface allow direct modeling for BET surface area, BJH porevolume, t-plot, Langmuir, DFT interpretation, and more.
The isotherm analysis suite provides an extensive selection of NLDFT models for calculating pore size distributions. Chemisorption calculations include dispersion, metal surface area, and crystallite size. Unified Analysis Conditions for physical and chemical analyses allow users to rapidly develop new methods with a common interface.
