MCA Services Research Library Th e   MCA   Services   YouTube   channel   has   a   range   of   videos   showing   our   analytical   techniques   in   operation.   We   hope   that   they   are helpful   for   our   existing   clients,   prospective   clients   and   also   of   interest   to   anyone   seeking   more   information.   We   are   adding   to these periodically and our current videos are: Mercury Porosimetry - Introduction to mercury porosimetry Mercury Porosimetry - Sample handling and selection Mercury Porosimetry - Sample analysis Gas Sorption - Introduction to Gas Sorption Isotherms Gas Sorption - Introduction to BET Surface Area Gas Sorption - Kr vs N2 BET Surface Area Gas Sorption - How to use N2 and Kr gas adsorption isotherms to calculate BET Surface Area Gas Pycnometry -  How to measure bulk / envelope density Gas Pycnometry -  How to measure absolute / true density Gas Pycnometry -  The difference between bulk and absolute density At   MCA   we   are   continually   undertaking   research   into   the   use   our   analytical   techniques   for   the   characterisation   of   wide   variety   of   materials in   diverse   industries.   We   aim   to   discover   novel   techniques   for   characterisation   and   to   increase   the   level   of   information   gained   from   them   in order    to    better    understand    their    formulation,    manufacture    and    performance.    We    are    currently    actively    researching    in    the    fields    of pharmaceuticals,   geological   /   shale   cores,   materials   science   and   electro-catalysis   (battery   and   super-capacitor   technology).   Some   research highlights and links to publications are given below and for more information please don’t hesitate to contact us. Pharmaceuticals: BET surface area measurement of Magnesium Stearate.  Magnesium   stearate   is   an   extremely   common   pharmaceutical   excipient   and   specific   surface   area   measurement   is   critical   to   formulation, manufacture   and   quality   control   of   solid   dosage   forms.   However,   this   measurement,   usually   by   application   of   BET   theory   to   nitrogen adsorption   isotherms,   is   widely   known   to   be   problematic.   At   MCA   Services   we   have   been   investigating   this   for   several   years   and   have concluded   a   series   of   three   publications   in   peer   reviewed   journals.   We   show   that   unusual   isotherm   features   occur   which   are   dependent   on hydration   state   and   are   due   to   an   adsorptive   swelling   and   encapsulation   effect.   Ultimately   we   show   that   N ₂    adsorption   causes   artificially high BET surface area values and greater reliability and certainty can be obtained through krypton adsorption . Gas Adsorption on Commercial Magnesium Stearate: Effects of Degassing Conditions on Nitrogen BET Surface Area and Isotherm Characteristics. International Journal of Pharmaceutics 530(1) · August 2017.  Gas adsorption on commercial magnesium stearate: The origin of atypical isotherms and BET transform data. Powder Technology Volume 342, 15 January 2019, Pages 676-689. BET surface area measurement of commercial magnesium stearate by krypton adsorption in preference to nitrogen adsorption. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. Volume 568, 10 September 2019. Battery / Energy Storage Devices. R&D   into   energy   storage   devices,   such   as   re-chargeable   batteries,   super-capacitors   and   electro-catalysts   is   an   already   enormous   field   which is   growing   year-on-year.   The   characterisation   of   the   porous   nature   of   materials   is   essential   to   the   understanding   of   their   function   and   at MCA   Services   we   are   keen   to   develop   analytical   and   data   interpretation   methods   to   assist   this.   It   is   often   necessary   to   combine   gas adsorption   and   mercury   porosimetry   data   in   order   to   fully   understand   and   characterise   pores   throughout   micro-   meso-   and   macro-   size ranges  when considering the process of raw materials through to finished electrode systems. Some examples of our research are: The porosity of NiCo2O4 films and powders by three common preparation techniques. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials Volume 223, 15 March 2016, Pages 35-45. Characterisation of Carbons Using a Micromeritics 3Flex