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Services, courses, experimental equipment

Characterization Service

We offer a comprehensive characterization service for nanostructured liquids and colloidal systems, highly specialized in solid/liquid and liquid/liquid dispersions and interfaces.

The Characterization Service constitutes the Unit U12 of NANBIOSIS, −a Unique Scientific-Technological Infrastructure (ICTS) for the production and characterization of nanoparticles, biomaterials and biomedical systems− and is located at the Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC).

Since October 2021, the Service has operated under a Quality Management System certified by AENOR in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 standard (certificate reference ER-0510/2021).

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Included Services

Determination of particle size and size distribution, aggregate morphology, radius of gyration and aggregation number using light scattering and light diffraction techniques
Study of phase behaviour in surfactant systems
Characterization of liquid crystals (morphology, repeat distance, etc.)
Characterization of the rheological properties of fluids and viscoelastic systems under deformation and flow conditions (viscosity, pseudoplastic or plastic behavior, dilatant behavior, elastic and viscous moduli, relaxation times, etc.)

Measurement of surface and interfacial tension in pure liquids, surfactant systems and colloidal dispersions (adsorption properties of molecules at liquid-air and liquid-liquid interfaces)
Determination of colloidal stability and surface charge
Measurements of contact angles of liquids on solid materials
Differential refractive index measurements
Density measurements of liquids

Other services

Explore our innovative solutions

Determination of colloidal properties

Study of the phasic behavior of surfactants in multi-component systems (binary, ternary and pseudo-ternary, etc.).
Structural characterization of colloidal surfactant systems (emulsions, nano-emulsions, microemulsions, dispersions, etc.).

Preparation and characterization of formulations (based on colloidal surfactant systems)

Preparation of tailor-made formulations, customized according to the final application.
Study of industrial formulations (emulsions, nano-emulsions, microemulsions, dispersions, etc.) and improvement of their properties, such as droplet or particle size, static and dynamic stability, etc.
Development of methodologies for preparing formulations using low-energy techniques, which can optimize resource use −such as energy and chemicals− in industrial processes and enhance the properties of the resulting formulations.

Preparation of advanced nanostructured materials (from colloidal surfactant systems)

Preparation of organic and inorganic nanoparticles with controlled shape and size for applications in biomedicine, catalysis, and more.
Preparation of materials with dual meso- and macroporous structure .
Obtaining materials with special properties (mechanical, thermal, acoustic, etc.).
Obtaining fabrics capable of responding to external stimuli ( smart textiles ), for example by incorporating nanoparticles.
Preparation of other ad hoc special materials , depending on the application.

Surface modification

Surface functionalization through chemical treatments to obtain materials with specific hydrophilic/ hydrophobic properties.
Study of material surfaces (polymeric, textiles, etc.).