PTL’s newest instrument, the Surface Measurement Systems DVS Intrinsic is a highly sensitive, accurate means for determining the moisture sorption properties of a material. This can provide critical information on the stability, processing, performance, and storage of materials. The analysis is applicable to pharmaceuticals, food products, packaging, personal care products, fibers, building materials and agricultural materials.
Dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) is a gravimetric technique that measures the quantity, and how quickly water vapor is adsorbed and/or absorbed by a material, such as cement, or an active pharmaceutical ingredient. The DVS system works by flowing precisely controlled concentrations of water vapors in dry air over a sample at a known flow rate and temperature. The sample rests on a digital microbalance which detects the sorption/desorption of water vapor through the increase or decrease in mass of the material as the relative humidity (RH) varies.
Accurate measurements are achieved by controlling the temperature and humidity electronically, allowing excellent instrument baseline stability as well as accurate control of the generated relative humidity. The DVS instrument provides a relatively quick way of obtaining the water sorption and desorption isotherm of the sample (typically in a few days) compared to traditional methods (typically weeks to months). The DVS can also perform isoactivity measurements in which materials are kept under constant RH conditions while linearly or stepwise varying the temperature.
Our DVS accommodates a wide variety of sample geometries and allows sorption behavior to be accurately determined on very small sample sizes (typically 50-100 mg). Sample masses up to around 3 grams and with dimensions as large as 15mm can also be analyzed. The relative humidity levels can be varied between 0-95%, while the operational temperature ranges from 20-40°C.
Sample DVS Intrinsic Data Plot – Milk powder, two cycles, showing amorphous recrystallization.
DVS Intrinsic Applications
Studying hygroscopicity of powders, fibers and solids
Kinetics of water sorption and desorption
Water induced morphology changes
Food shelf-life prediction studies
Effects of moisture on texture of materials
Accelerated stability studies of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
Materials Studied
Pharmaceuticals: powders, tablets, APIs and excipient materials
Food: powders, processed food, biscuits
Natural Materials: grains/seeds, wood
Building Materials: aggregates, cement, ceramics
Personal Care Products: cosmetics, hair care, contact lenses
Packaging Materials: paper, plastics
To find out more about DVS or other particle characterization services available at Particle Technology Labs, please contact us at 1-630-403-0127.
