Acquisition of a Mastersizer 3000 particle size analyzer

This proposal describes the acquisition of a Mastersizer 3000, a particle-size analyzer by Malvern Panalytical, with two automated liquid sample dispersion units, a 120mL and a 600mL. This equipment will provide information on several material properties, including particle-size distribution, packing density, stability of materials, dissolution rates, and reaction rates. This new Mastersizer 3000 will replace our damaged, and obsolete, Mastersizer 2000, which is no longer supported by Malvern Panalytical, since its manufacture ceased in 2015. The Mastersizer 3000 will be extensively used in developing environmentally friendly clinkers, cements, and concretes, produced at low firing temperature, and based on industrial by-products to preserve natural resources. Other types of research will also profit from this new and updated equipment, which include the separation and recovery of rare earth elements, the use of industrial by-products as a low-cost oxygen carrier, as well as various industrial companies. A detailed plan for allowing campus-wide access to the equipment is included in the proposal, as well as a plan for providing user training and equipment maintenance.