Nanoparticle Lab Services

Nanoparticle and Nanotube Testing  

NANOPARTICLES and NANOTUBES 

Nanoparticles are manufactured to be extremely small (one billionth of a meter) and are generally defined as measuring around 1-100 nanometers in one dimension. These materials have biological, chemical and physical properties that differ from those of their larger counterparts. It is due to the alteration of these properties there is concern for public health and safety. EMSL Analytical, Inc. is uniquely positioned to help you take advantage of the emerging area of nanoparticles.

We can help you recognizing the benefits that are associated with this new dynamic market. Our scientists harness the power of our diverse inventory of scientific instrumentation to identify and quantitate your nanoparticles or Carbon Nanotubes: Morphology; Chemical Composition; Particle Size and Distribution; Presence as an environmental contamination.

RISK AND NANOPARTICLES

Nanotechnology has been described by the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) as “the understanding and control of matter at dimensions between 1 and 100 nanometers, where unique phenomena enable novel applications”. These manipulations of Nanoparticles are leading to new consumer products, materials and applications across many different disciplines.

Some of these disciplines include cosmetics, medicine, aerospace, energy and transportation. Nanotechnology and their resulting products will impact almost every walk of life in some way. The long-term health risks of nanoparticles are not well understood, but early studies have suggested that excessive exposure to nanoparticles could cause lung damage, cell toxicity, damage DNA and possibly even harm unborn children. Cosmetics seem to have been the most studied of the products for consumer production. Once the particles have entered the body, they can be absorbed into the blood stream, tissues, organs and even travel across the blood-brain barrier into the brain.

As such, scientific communities throughout the globe have recommended that given the growing evidence of serious toxicity risks, more research be done to determine the physical-chemical properties, routes of exposure, uptake and absorption and toxicity thresholds.

CHARACTERIZATION & ANALYSIS OF NANOPARTICLES

The corporate facility of EMSL Analytical, Inc. in Cinnaminson, New Jersey is your complete nanoparticle analysis laboratory, housing six Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) capable of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDXA) and digital imaging. In addition, EMSL’s analytical instrumentation includes, but is not limited to; three Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), Auger Electron Spectroscope (AES) and a High Voltage (200kV) Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) all equipped with state of the art Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analyzers (EDXA). Harnessing the power of our diverse instrumentation allows your nanoparticles to be characterized by its surface, chemical and morphological components. We are currently able to offer testing on the following characteristics: surface area, zeta potential, chemical composition, crystallinity, structure size, structure topography, thermal effects, particle size distribution and structure shape. In addition, we offer a fully customizable nano analysis to fit within the scope of your analytical needs.

EMSL has conducted nanoparticle studies for the Federal Government as well as Fortune 500 Industrial customers, so rest assured that your project would receive the scientific attention and expertise it deserves.

• Nano Silica is used in paints and clothing helping them resist stains. It also makes electrical components smaller and more powerful.
• Nanoparticles are used in shampoo, cosmetics, toothpaste and car paint. They are also used in drug delivery systems to target specific areas of the body.
• Nano Titanium Dioxide is found in 89 popular food products where in large quantities it is used as a thickener and whitening agent.
• Silver Nanoparticles are added to products such as socks and wound dressings for germ killing effects.
• Nano Zinc & Nano Titanium Dioxide makes sunscreen and lotions transparent and more easily absorbed.

EMSL Analytical, Inc. offers a comprehensive set of services designed to provide the answers needed to fully understand the complex world of nano-materials. With a number of laboratories dedicated to pursuing the most modern analysis methods and equipment, EMSL has a wide variety of offerings for both analysis of individual nanoparticles as well as nanoparticles incorporated into composites or devices. EMSL also has extensive capabilities for the examination of nano-scale devices and semiconductor materials.

With dedicated materials science laboratory centers spanning the continental U.S., EMSL has a wide range of facilities to meet your analytical needs. With high-resolution scanning electron microscopes capable of nm scale imaging and analysis, through traditional TEM instrumentation, EMSL can handle development of scalable analysis to support your QA and bulk characterization needs. For more complex applications, however, EMSL also offers sub nanometer HR-STEM, FIB-SEM and surface analysis with XPS/AES.

Harnessing the power of our diverse instrumentation allows nanomaterials to be characterized by surface, chemical and morphological components. We offer fully customizable nano-analysis to fit within the scope of your analytical needs. EMSL is experienced with the requirements and services needed by clients working in applications ranging from small independent start-ups through government agencies and Fortune 500 industrial programs. With experts on industrial hygiene (IH) exposure, device design and nano-crystallography, let us assist you in your challenging nano-materials development application today!