A new ISO standard on the identification of nanoparticles

Nanoparticles (NP), defined as having one or more dimension of 1-100 nm, are used in a range of modern products, including cosmetics, sunscreen, coatings for solar cells, and materials for water treatment. A factor for their extensive use is the greater chemical activity imparted by their large surface area relative to their size. As they are small enough to enter the body through the lung, skin and bypass the blo...

Measuring nanoparticle shell thickness

Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly used in a wide range of areas, and thus are expected to soon have a significant economic and environmental impact. In health they are used for targeted drug delivery, and in the energy sector they are used in photovoltaic technologies to improve solar cell efficiency compared to conventional materials. Due to the wide range of fields that coated nanoparticles are used in, th...

Quantifying the uncertainty of Electric Properties Tomography in medical imaging

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a diagnostic, mainly qualitative, technique used to visualise the soft tissues of a patient. The application of a strong magnetic field causes the protons in a patient’s hydrogen atoms to align with it. Radiofrequency pulses are then used to force the protons to move out of and back into alignment with the field, generating signals characteristic of the tissues in which the hydr...

Advancing the evaluation of measurement uncertainty

Measurements underpin almost all areas of modern life, including trade, industrial manufacture, environment and health. However, no measurement is perfect — factors such as the instrument type, operator, measurement method or the environment can affect the returned results. All these factors combine to produce a ‘measurement uncertainty’, a quantification of the quality of the measured value. Since uncertainty ca...

New photometry standards for measurement of solid-state lighting products

Conventionally the calibration of photometric equipment was performed with tungsten filament standard lamps with the standard illuminant A spectrum, which was published by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) in 1931 and was originally designed for use with incandescent lighting products. However, incandescent consumer lamps have been phased-out to comply with energy saving regulations and solid-sta...

Developing high-throughput methods to characterise graphene

Graphene is a lattice of carbon only one atom thick. Despite being effectively two-dimensional (2D) it is the strongest material ever discovered with a tensile strength over 200 times stronger than structural steel. It also has the lowest room-temperature electrical resistivity of any known material and its high electron mobility – which is how quickly electrons can move through it – would allow electronic devices...

Valid calibration of infusion pumps

Infusion pumps deliver medications at programmed rates or intervals. However, incorrect doses can occur if fluids are delivered at inaccurate flow rates, particularly drugs with narrow therapeutic margins, short half-life, high concentration, or the very low flow rates typical for newborn children. Therefore, accurate and precise control of flow rates can be critical for patient safety, not least as the use of in...

Robust sulfur dioxide emissions monitoring

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds and waste incineration. This toxic gas contributes to the formation of particulate aerosol...

Fit for purpose emissions testing

Air pollution remains the main environmental factor in human ill-health, with about 400,000 premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollution annually in the EU. Industrial processes account for a sizeable share of polluting emissions, including sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), produced by burning fuels containing sulfur compounds and waste incineration. This toxic gas contributes to the formation of particulate aerosol...

Protecting the power network from electrical faults

Electricity is transmitted at high voltages (HV) and reduced for domestic use by power transformers installed in HV substations. Many substations are located inside buildings in urban areas in reduced spaces. HV switchgear, such as circuit-breakers and disconnectors, are used to de-energise equipment to allow safe maintenance. These are often encased in Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas at several hundred kPa which ac...