courtesy of DataPhysics

Filderstadt, 3 April 2023. The innovative Zeta Potential Analyzer ZPA 20 has won the Best of Industry Award in the category Laboratory & Analytical Technology.

The Zeta Potential Analyzer ZPA 20 enables the precise characterisation of the charge situation as well as the determination of the isoelectric point of solid surfaces, particles, and fibre bundles. Investigations of the zeta potential are of interest in a variety of applications, such as the analysis of glass fibre bundles, wafers, fuel cell membranes, fouling processes of filters, or bacterial growth on food packaging.

This year, the device, developed by the laboratory instruments manufacturer DataPhysics Instruments GmbH, has been awarded the Best of Industry Award in the category Laboratory & Analytical Technology

 

The Best of Industry Award has been presented by the Vogel Communications Group since 2016. The group includes renowned trade media such as Laborpraxis, Process, DeviceMed and Maschinenmarkt. Nils Langer, Managing Director of DataPhysics Instruments, says: It is a special honour for us that our ZPA 20 has been chosen by the readers for the Best of Industry Award. This confirms our principle of developing exactly the instruments that our customers need.

A particularly unique feature of the ZPA 20 is its patented measuring method, which makes it possible to obtain fast results with high accuracy. Dr Sebastian Schaubach, Chief Innovation Officer at DataPhysics Instruments, explains: The Zeta Potential Analyzer ZPA 20 is currently the only measuring device on the market that works with a bidirectional and oscillating measurement of the streaming potential or streaming current.

In this process, the electrolyte solution is not only pumped in one direction, but alternately in opposite directions over or through the sample. In addition, the flow rate of the electrolyte fluid changes in repeated cycles, resulting in pressure changes. This produces results with excellent statistical quality in a short time.

The patented measuring method not only saves time, it also helps to reduce sources of error. The oscillating measurement generates both positive and negative pressure differences and thus positive and negative values of the streaming potential or streaming current. This can prevent polarisation of the device electrodes. In addition, the bidirectional flow can make asymmetries of the sample surface visible, such as inhomogeneous fibre or powder packing or insufficiently fixed samples.