Experimental Designs and Instrumental Methods Sample Clauses

Experimental Designs and Instrumental Methods. Nanophase will perform experiments that span the range from simple screening experiments, where chemical additives are added to liquid/particle mixtures and evaluated for dispersion efficacy, to elaborate statistical design of experiments (a “DOE”) where many additives and combinations of additives are evaluated for dispersion effectiveness providing the opportunity for optimization via analysis of the DOE response surfaces in the appropriate software. For all experiments and responses will be selected to determine how effective the chemical system(s) are dispersing particles into stable liquid formulations. The compiled data and associated analyses will be made available to Eminess in context of the research effort. The determination of particle dispersion effectiveness may be measured in many ways. The use of particle sizing instrumentation is an effective way to determine the effectiveness of a particle dispersion formulation. Examples of such instrumentation may include ensemble methods such as light scattering (laser diffraction, dynamic light scattering) or sedimentation, and non-ensemble methods such as single particle optical sizing. Another way to measure particle stability is through zeta potential measurements. Nanonphase will perform measurements using the aforementioned techniques and provide relevant data describing the dispersion effectiveness of the systems explored, especially those that provide the clearest path to a stable liquid dispersion of particles suitable for polishing applications. It should be noted that suitable measurements beyond formulation characterization should be investigated and such measurements that will include performance tests via controlled polishing experiments. Measured responses from these tests will include material removal rates, surface roughness measurements, and will also monitor the formulation characteristics as a function of polishing time.