Australian and German Researchers Young Scientists 2016
For the first time two awardees
One session of this year‘s International Workshop Dispersion Analysis and Materials Testing in Berlin was again dedicated to the Young Scientist Award (YSA) 2016. LUM GmbH traditionally awards this prize for outstanding scientific results in particle and dispersion analysis and materials testing.
“I would like to thank all 10 applicants from 6 countries, who submitted very interesting contributions“, Prof. Dr. Lerche, scientific chairman of the conference and president of the jury, sums up. ”Four aspirants were nominated and invited to present their exciting results.“
Ms. Dr. Johann Lacava, Leibniz-Institute for New Materials, Saarbrücken, presented her results on the aging of nanoparticles and their effect on emulsions. She demonstrated the use of the multi-wavelength dispersion analyser LUMiSizer for the in-situ observation of destabilization processes in emulsions in dependence of the emulsifier.
Michel Vong (MSc.) from Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology characterized the sedimentation behaviour of new, eco-friendly, solid flame retardants in polyols using a LUMiSizer. This topic represents on the one hand the determination of dispersibility of solid materials as a direct measure for the quality control of milling processes, on the other hand the stability analysis, i.e. the determination of the long-term behaviour of dispersed particles.
The quantification of wastewater sludge dewatering from suitable routine LUMiFuge lab-scale tests was in the focus of the research activities of MSc. Samuel J. Skinner, The University of Melbourne, Australia. Combining lab-scale gravity settling, centrifugation in LUMiFuge and constant pressure filtration, Skinner quantified for 15 kinds of sludge the dewaterability and detected a strong correlation with the volatile solids contents.
Dipl.-Ing. Johannes Walter, Institute of Particle Technology (LFG) of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, reported about “Nanoparticle Characterization – Transfer from Analytical Ultracentrifugation to the LUMiSizer“. Jury president Prof. Lerche highlighted in his laudation the extraordinary importance of the work for the investigation of nanoparticles by analytical centrifugation (AC), technically realized in LUMiSizer. By transfer of most calculation algorithms of analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) onto the easier and more economic AC, the multidimensional nanoparticle characterization as new application area is now available to a significantly higher number of users.
Due to the very high quality of two applicants, this year the prize money was increased by LUM and two nominees got the prize. S.J. Skinner (AUS) and J. Walter (GER) were equally awarded Young Scientist 2016.
LUM will award the next Young Scientist on the follow-up event International Conference and Workshop Dispersion Analysis & Materials Testing in January 2018, Prof. Lerche closed the session.
