THINKY Corporation’s Nano Premixer PR-1 has been developed to strongly replicate the dispersion of nanomaterials like CNTs and to function safely by holding the sample in an enclosed container.
The container is rotated at a high speed by the patented dual-sonic technology and the sample is irradiated by ultrasonic from the bottom and side of the ultrasonic bath. Rotation of the container at an angle of 45○ leads to convection in the materials, and therefore, ultrasonic irradiates the whole sample.
The Nano Premixer PR-1 won the Tokyo Venture Technology Excellence Award at the Going-Global Innovations Competition in November 2019, for its innovation and potential.
Nano Premixer PR-1 Features
- Pulverizing time of 2–5 minutes
- Highly reproducible dispersion
- Water temperature control is performed through a cooling unit
- Specialized dispersion technology (patented)
- CE certified model is available
- Contamination-free
- Low running cost
Carbon Nanofiber
High-purity carbon nanofibers with higher crystallinity are produced through the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The nanofibers are used as a conductive agent for a lithium-ion secondary battery’s negative electrode.
| . |
. |
| Material |
Carbon nanofiber (VGCF(R): Vapor Grown Carbon Fiber) |
| Solvent |
Water + Dispersant |
| Capacity |
5 mg |
| Material density |
0.1 wt% |
| Particle size |
150 nm |
| Unit |
Nano Premixer PR-1 |
| Operation time setting |
500 rpm, 30 minutes, Ultrasonic |
When using PR-1, ultrasonic processing can be performed while rotating at the same sample position every time, leading to excellent reproducibility of dispersion. The good reproducibility of experimental results is the primary reason behind the decision to use this device.
Naotoshi Nakashima, Professor Emeritus, Electrochemical Energy Conversion Division, WPI, International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University
Nakashima continued, “In addition, because the bath temperature can be kept below a certain specified value in this system, it is appropriate for experiments carried out under the condition of solubilization being kept the same. Ultrasonic experiments are very delicate, and experimental results can be affected by a slight change in conditions (the amount of water in the bath, for example). If the conditions are set manually, results may vary depending on the persons actually performing the experiments, leading to variations in the data obtained. In basic research, it is especially important to keep data variation as small as possible.”
In the University, an ordinary bath-type ultrasonic dispersing machine is used first. If solubilization is not achieved with the bath-type machine, a probe-type ultrasonic device is used. PR-1 is used when the amount of CNT solubilization (state of the solution) has to be quantitatively discussed.
Naotoshi Nakashima, Professor Emeritus, Electrochemical Energy Conversion Division, WPI, International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research, Kyushu University
Nano Premixer [PR-1] | THINKY CORPORATION
An Ultrasonic Mixer to Disperse Nanomaterials
The figure shows the world of “soluble carbon nanotubes”