Analytical Techniques and Methods

Loss on drying measures mass lost under specified conditions; Karl Fischer (KF) [...]

A finer PSD at higher obscuration does not automatically indicate better dispersion [...]

Median particle size passes QC while wafers still scratch. Here is why a ppm-level population of 1 to 10 micron agglomerates in CMP slurry drives scratch defects, and which measurements actually catch it.

A reported XRF concentration depends on the prepared specimen as well as its [...]

A BET surface area reflects how the sample was prepared and which adsorptive [...]

NIR moisture predictions depend on both water absorption and light scattering. Changing [...]

September 2026's moringa leaf powder recall, set against a year of Salmonella events touching powdered milk and supergreens blends, shows why bulk powder sampling plans can miss low-prevalence contamination and why low water activity slows but does not eliminate pathogen survival.

Laser diffraction calculates particle size from measured scattering using an optical model [...]

LED-based particle image velocimetry (PIV) images the velocity field inside a moving powder bed during blending, adding spatial resolution that static angle of repose, Hausner ratio, and shear cell tests cannot provide. Here is what that resolution can and cannot support for a process decision.

The power or torque trace in high-shear wet granulation rises and plateaus as granules consolidate, but the signal is a supporting process indicator, not a direct particle size measurement, and its interpretation is bounded by batch size, impeller geometry, and formulation.

Pairing laser diffraction with dynamic image analysis adds per-particle shape descriptors, aspect ratio, circularity, convexity, that help explain an anomalous D50 or D90 and show where the combined result still cannot replace a dedicated particle morphology study.

Gas pycnometry and BET surface area each report a single number. X-ray micro-CT builds a three-dimensional map of the pore network, showing connectivity, tortuosity, and closed porosity that single-value tests cannot resolve, within real resolution and sample-size limits.