Cody Langellier – Laboratory Division Manager

You need to characterize the pore structure of your product, but you’re unsure of how best to do so. You’ve done your research and found a technique called Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) but it’s unclear if this is an appropriate test for your needs. How do you proceed?

The experts at Particle Technology Labs (PTL) are happy to guide you completely through the process. We answer commonly asked questions below for those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of MIP:

What is Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry?

Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry is a technique that utilizes mercury to probe the surface accessible pores of a solid or powder material. Mercury is an ideal probe chemical because it is a non-wetting liquid that requires external pressure to fill voids in the surface of a sample. By volumetrically measuring the quantity of mercury forced into the pores of a sample at a given pressure, we can determine the pore size, pore volume and porosity of your sample. Pore size is inversely proportional to the amount of pressure required to force the mercury into the sample pore. Large pores require less pressure to fill with mercury than smaller pores.

Seventeen years ago, Aubrey Montana entered the universe of analytical contract laboratories. A young professional with a liberal arts degree, she answered a newspaper want ad for a report writer at a scientific company. That scientific company? Particle Technology Labs (PTL). Aubrey remembers, “The ad said ‘interest in science is a plus’ and that was me in a nutshell. It sounded like a perfect fit and 17 years later, I’d say it was a pretty good fit!”

She first began writing formal final reports for testing projects, then started helping the busy chemists and other staff by answering the lab’s phones. The more reports she wrote, the more calls she picked up and the more she talked with the chemists, the more knowledge gained. “To this day,” Aubrey reflects, “I still learn something new. It’s always very interesting. We work with so many different industries…the sky is the limit. You get a good cross-section of the world here.”

Now, as Senior Client Relations, Aubrey guides clients in determining the best testing solutions for their specific needs. She explains, “Together, we are able to form a better path through the woods of choosing a technique.”

The Trend in Outsourced Scientific Research and Development

Outsourcing or contracting is a common practice used by companies to reduce costs and raise profits by cutting down on staff and equipment needs. Due to economic factors over the last few years, including high labor and equipment costs of in-house laboratories, outsourcing is becoming increasingly prevalent in the scientific community.

The American Council for Independent Laboratories (ACIL) has announced Particle Technology Labs as one of only 9 recipients of the ACIL Customer Quality Service Award for 2020. This is PTL’s eighth consecutive year in qualifying for this award.  

This year, PTL is also proud to have received special recognition for being in the top three for timeliness. The timeliness category rates the timeliness of reports, as well as the timeliness as compared to all other laboratories.