Company has been awarded the coveted R+D 100 Award for the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC823e) with the new high sensitivity sensor (HSS7) in the category of thermal analysers
The DSC823e was introduced in 2005 and has been a beneficial addition to the Mettler Toledo DSC family.
The Mettler Toledo DSC823e has several new features that offer enhanced performance benefits to thermal analysts.
The DSC823e now uses a state-of-the-art high sensitivity DSC sensor (HSS7) which measures the heat flow between the sample and its immediate surroundings.
It does the same for the reference (empty crucible) side.
This is what makes the DSC823e a calorimeter.
The sensor then subtracts the reference heat flow from the sample sensor heat flow to create the differential calorimeter response.
The HSS7 uses a unique star pattern of 120 thermocouples.
This drastically increases the sensor's sensitivity to the sample and at the same time reduces the sensor's sensitivity to local perturbations in temperature (noise).
The sensor is the first of its kind which includes the star pattern of thermocouples in three layers.
These layers further improve the signal to noise of the sensor.
The signal from this sensor is so great that Mettler Toledo was able to decrease the gain at the analogue to digital converter.
This decreased the electronic noise.
The HSS7 sensor is more than the summation of the signal from 120 thermocouples.
The unique design of the thermocouples in the sensor cancels noise such that the signal to noise is increased beyond that expected from the simple summation of 120 thermocouples.
Improvement over existing products.
All other DSCs are made with a two thermocouple design.
This requires a large amplifier gain and time constant smoothing to reduce noise.
The DSC823e does not require very much amplification because a larger signal is generated at the sample with the HSS7 DSC sensor.
The DSC823e has greatly improved the ability of researchers to observe small transitions by increasing the sensitivity by five times the best DSC on the market today.
The sensitivity is so good that this DSC will replace many microcalorimeter applications and retain the rapid heating rate (up to 300K/min) of a DSC.
This kind of improvement in measurement sensitivity is rarely seen today in just one generation of a technology.
The last improvement of this magnitude in analytical chemistry was the advent of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) over dispersive IR instruments.
This is truly a landmark improvement that will stand for decades to come.
In addition, the Mettler Toledo DSC823e is the only DSC on the market today where the user calibrates the DSC using one set of conditions and the calibrations are extrapolated to other experimental conditions.
This feature saves the user time calibrating when they want to change heating rate, crucible type or purge gas.
"The DSC823e with the new high sensitivity DSC sensor represents a significant improvement for the laboratory that uses differential scanning calorimetry," says Steve Sauerbrunn, thermal analysis technical manager.
"The user will now be able to detect smaller transitions or analyze smaller samples than previously thought possible".
The selection process.
All R+D 100 Award entries are initially judged by outside experts.
Outside judges are chosen from professional consultants, university faculty and industrial researchers with superior expertise and experience in their judgement area.
They must also be completely unbiased and have no conflicts of interest with any entries they are judging.
More than 50 outside judges participate every year.
The R+D 100 Award is awarded annually to the developers of new products that represent the greatest improvement in technology of that year.
There are 16 categories awarded each year and this is the 44th year of the awards presentation.
According to R+D, "winning an R+D 100 Award provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government and academia as proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year".
Aside from bragging rights, awardees receive special recognition in the September 2006 edition of R+D Magazine and are invited to attend a gala awards banquet in celebration of the award.
