A PhD student at North Carolina University's Department of Chemistry is using a microbalance head, logging software and accessories supplied by CI Electronics.
Robert Wilcox, working under the guidance of adviser James D Martin, has incorporated the microbalance head within self-designed experimental apparatus to investigate interaction between small molecules and solids.
As well as the PTFE-coated Mk2-M5 microbalance head, Wilcox is using a Disbal control unit, Labweigh software package, cables and accessories from CI Electronics.
He manufactured his own glassware to create the sample enclosure and other elements of the apparatus.
Before building the new instrument, Wilcox had used a conventional thermal gravimetric analyser (TGA), but this gave poor control at the low temperatures at which he wanted to operate, and the performance at low vapour pressures was restricted.
Using his own set-up, Wilcox is able to flow a gas over the solid sample, control the temperature and record the absorption time using CI's Labweigh software.
This approach has enabled him to study the reaction kinematics and map phase diagrams as part of his research into interactions between small molecules and solids.
Because of the microbalance's ability to measure with microgram accuracy, Wilcox benefits from being able to use relatively small sample sizes.
