Quantachrome analysers chosen for new NIST facility

Quantachrome Instruments has announced that its Autosorb iQ surface area and pore size analysers have been chosen to equip the new NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) FACT (Facility for Adsorbent Characterization and Testing) laboratory in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.

FACT is an interagency collaboration between NIST and ARPA-E (The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy). Its mission is to further America’s energy independence through the creation and characterisation of advanced materials, creating an epicentre of technology, skills and expertise in material characterisation to support America’s initiatives in advanced energy technologies.

Optimising performance of adsorbent materials is of growing strategic importance in America’s new energy initiatives. Quantachrome’s instrumentation allows scientists to understand the surface characteristics of advanced materials that impact their desired performance characteristics. The company’s devices will thus be utilised for the facility’s research and training initiatives.

FACT will support various Department of Energy programs focusing on the development of adsorbent materials for carbon dioxide sequestration, hydrocarbon storage and other applications. An independent facility for accurate and reproducible characterisation of gas sorption properties, it will establish testing procedures, develop reference materials for adsorbent material testing, create an online database of adsorbent material properties and provide impartial testing and validation services.

The centre of excellence will collaborate with, and provide guidance to, other government, academic and commercial research groups operating in the arena of adsorption characterisation of energy materials.