Monthly Archives: February 2018

Sterlitech will be in Orlando exhibiting our filtration products at Pittcon 2018. This year, the annual global expo for analytical lab sciences is being held at the Orange County Convention Center. Pittcon brings together a wide variety of laboratory science companies and professionals to showcase the latest technology in our industry.

Last year there were over 14,000 attendees from 88 different countries. Pittcon offers a unique opportunity to participate in product demonstrations, attend seminars and short courses, and connect with technical experts. This is Sterlitech’s 16^th year participating in Pittcon and we are excited to continue sharing our products with the lab science community.

If you are attending the conference, we encourage you to stop by booth #3034 and chat with our representatives.  Please send us an email if you would like to arrange a specific appointment time.  In attendance

February is here, and for many research teams across the world, that means it’s time to set sail. Shoulder seasons are an important time to conduct marine research because many algal and microbial species are in bloom. Whether your research has you voyaging the open sea or cruising in coastal waters, Sterlitech is here to stock the ship with all your laboratory filtration needs.

We are proud to have our membrane filters take part in the adventure. Our customers utilize silver, glass fiber, and polycarbonate track etch (PCTE) membrane filters in aquatic research.^{1, 2, 3} These filters travel the seven seas, treating collected sea water samples for retention and analyses of algae, microorganisms, and microscopic particles.^{1, 4}

Track

When discussing physical characteristics of filtration media and membranes, researchers often have questions regarding porosity. Sometimes confused with pore size, porosity is defined as the ratio of the void pore volume to the total volume of a membrane¹, usually indicated as a percentage. Track-etched membranes have essentially 2-dimensional structures with well-defined pore diameters and pore densities. Consequently, their porosity is equal to the ratio of the pore area to the total surface area and is a relatively straightforward calculation. For other membrane types with complex 3-dimensional structures, it is difficult to accurately quantify porosity.   

For some membrane types with consistent pore structures, porosity can be estimated using geometric analyses facilitated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission election microscopy (TEM), or atomic force microscopy (AFM)²