National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new formula which can be used to accurately calculate the concentration of particles suspended in a solution. The formula yields more accurate results than current approaches and has a wide potential range of applications.
Published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, the new formula accounts for variations in particle size to increase accuracy.
"This new formula has the potential to help advance nanotechnology applications, such as food packing and preservation, and the fabrication of microchips and electronic devices," said NIST engineer Elijah Petersen, who helped test the new formula. "It improves upon current methods by correcting for a common bias that assumes that particles are uniform in size."
To prove the formula using a practical example the team analyzed an anti-caking agent used for food production which contained material across a wide distribution of sizes. Their tests showed a difference as great as 36% when compared to traditionally used formulas.
"There are different ways to calculate the particle number concentration," Petersen added. "Choosing the right formula can make a big difference."