And the winner is………Hiroshima University!

Following the launch of the Zetasizer Nano ZSP on 12th September 2012, I am delighted to confirm that the first customer to have one of these new instruments installed in their laboratory is Dr. Kikuo Okuyama of  the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University in Japan. Dr. Okuyama and colleagues are engaged in research into the composition and structure of functional fine particles and will use the Zetasizer Nano ZSP in the evaluation of nanoparticle size, dispersion and surface chemistry. When talking to Dr. Okuyama about his work, I was greatly interested to learn that their main objective is to find alternative materials for rare earths and to develop rare earth-free functional materials for use in applications such as high performance motors, white LED, battery and photocatalyst materials. Dr. Okuyama, if you are reading this, I wish you success in your work!

A more detailed description of this fascinating customer installation in Japan can be found on the Malvern Instruments’ Press Release webpage.

Also, for those of you that would like to find out more about the Zetasizer Nano ZSP, the recording of the launch event can still be viewed here and there is a wealth of material on the Malvern website that describe this new premium addition to the range in more detail. With the instrument came additions to the Zetasizer software, introducing new feature packages for the measurement of protein mobility and microrheology. We have created two videos to describe these features in more detail; one that describes how to use the Diffusion Barrier Technique for the measurement of protein mobility, see it here, and another that gives an overview of microrheology, see it here.

Make sure you keep watching this space for more news about customer applications in the future……