Technological comparison
  •  Related to instruments in the particle size range 100nm - 50µm
  •   High Size   resolution
  •   No Calibration
  •   Suitable for   complex system
  •   Particle   classification
  •   Inline Online
  •   Cost effective
  • SPES

  • Single Particle Diffraction (SPD, SPOS)

  • Multiple Particle Diffraction (SLS)

  • Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)

  • Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA)

  • Visual Inspection (Microscope, TEM, SEM)

  • Coulter & Similar Tech

SPES (Single Particle Extinction and Scattering) patented optical technology accesses to more information on single measured particles than the other methods. The capabilities of EOS analytical platform based on SPES patented methods are of capital importance with mixes and heterogeneous systems and when particle behaviour must be investigated in complex-but-real target industrial, environmental, and biological heterogeneous liquids and aerosol.

SPES data provides physical and statistical information, as particle size distribution and numerical concentration, as well as insight on the particle structure and stability. Applications ranges from the estimation of the number of aggregates per mL respect to the choice of the surfactant, e.g. for the improvement of the wetting of a powder or of the shelf life of a product, to the study of the behaviour of particles in target heterogeneous media to tailor the their formulation. Oversize analysis can be performed also in presence of impurities. Scraps and out-of-specifics can be monitored in intermediates and final formulation.

Among the several traditional methods currently adopted, optical ones have unique advantages, and therefore, have brought light scattering into the forefront of analytical methods in many scientific and industrial applications. Unfortunately, the number of parameters typically affecting the scattering properties of a given particle is such that the basic measure of the scattering power (or even the power removal from a light beam -extinction- from one particle) is far from being enough to recover something more than a rough estimate of its size. Things change appreciably when considering a collection of many scatterers, with the immediate drawback of introducing the need for mathematical inversion and ill-posed problems to interpret experimental real data. As a matter of fact, traditional optical methods, such as Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Static Light Scattering (SLS), and Light Obscuration (LO), require limiting a priori assumptions on the particles composition and structure and they assume that all particles are made by the same material and no interaction occurs between the particles and the fluid. Moreover, both DLS and SLS are based on complex retrieval algorithms that could introduce artefacts in the resultant particle size distribution.

SPES provides a complete optical fingerprint of the sample (see “how does SPES work”). Thanks to its multiparametric approach and limiting a priori speculations. EOS proprietary algorithms and specific data analysis complete the instrument ability to discriminate and analyse samples even in situation when traditional methods fail.