100 Years of Mie Theory!


31 July 2008: Malvern, UK: Dr Alan Rawle, Divisional Applications Manager for Malvern Instruments and widely known as an expert in particle characterization techniques, will present a paper celebrating 100 years of Mie theory at the 11th Electromagnetic and Light Scattering Conference to be held from 7-12 September 2008 at the University of Hertfordshire, UK.

Today one of the most common applications of Mie theory is in providing a rigorous solution for calculating particle size distributions from laser diffraction light scattering data. While early laser diffraction systems used an alternative mathematical approximation, it is the application of Mie theory, together with advances in optical design, which have enabled the measurement of particles over a very wide dynamic range.

According to Dr Rawle, "The implementation of Mie theory in the Malvern Mastersizer 2000, for example, allows the measurement of particles from 0.02 to 2000 microns in size. Being able to characterize particles over such a broad range, using a single optical setup, delivers many benefits to users in terms of product understanding and quality control."

Since the use of Mie theory requires a knowledge of the refractive index and absorption of the materials being measured, the Mastersizer 2000 has a built in database of optical properties. In his presentation Dr Rawle will explore the impact of using Mie theory correctly and will provide some practical rules for selecting the appropriate optical property values for materials as diverse as ceramics and food emulsions.

About Malvern Instruments
Malvern Instruments provides a range of complementary materials characterization tools that deliver inter-related measurements reflecting the complexities of particulates and disperse systems, nanomaterials and macromolecules. Analytical instruments from Malvern are used in the characterization of a wide variety of materials, from industrial bulk powders to the latest nanomaterials and delicate macromolecules. A broad portfolio of innovative technologies is combined with intelligent, user-friendly software. These systems deliver industrially relevant data enabling our customers to make the connection between micro (such as particle size) and macro (bulk) material properties (rheology) and chemical composition (chemical imaging).

Particle size distribution, particle shape information, zeta potential, molecular weight, chemical composition, and bulk materials properties can all be determined with instruments from the Malvern range. The company's laboratory, at-line, on-line and in-line solutions are proven in sectors as diverse as cement production and pharmaceutical drug discovery.

Headquartered in Malvern, UK, Malvern Instruments has subsidiary organizations in all major European markets, North America, China, Korea and Japan, a joint venture in India, a global distributor network and applications laboratories around the world. www.malvern.com

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