Our roundup of 2024's Ask an Expert webinars!

Explore our recap of 2024’s Ask an Expert webinars. Stay tuned for our upcoming 2025 Ask an Expert series agenda and call to candidates for the 2025 Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award!

Ask an Expert 1: Piezoelectrics with Shardul Pandit & Perovskites with Damian Wlodarczyk

Shardul Pandit presented his research on aluminum nitride alloys for piezoelectric applications – where an electric charge is create by the application of a force or vibration. Shardul focused on yttrium, and his innovation was mitigate yttrium’s oxygen affinity and improve yttrium’s piezoelectric properties by depositing yttrium aluminum nitride films with an aluminum seed layer.

Damian’s research focuses on two novel, rock-salt-type minerals – double perovskites – and their luminescent properties when exposed to near-ultraviolet (NUV) light. He showed how X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) helped reveal the arrangement of atoms in these cerium-hosting materials, providing insights into how they emit light when exposed to NUV light.

Watch the presentations by Shardul (03:25 – 19:22) and Damian (19:22 – 40:16) to learn more!

Ask an Expert 2: Polymer nanofiber therapeutics with Steven Street & Defect-free graphene at scale with Abimannan Sethurajaperumal

Steven’s research investigated using nanofiber micelleplexes to optimize the delivery of DNA plasmids. During his presentation, he compared nanofiber micelleplexes with other nanoparticle shapes and their effectiveness for this application. Steven explained how he used dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analysis to capture the data necessary for these comparisons, including particle size, colloidal stability, and nucleic acid complexation in NA delivery.

Abimannan’s focuses on converting large, natural graphite flakes into thin, defect-free graphene at high yields through the use of the natural surfactant Sapindus Mukorossi. In this webinar, Abimannan further dived into the analytical techniques he used to confirm these results, which included electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Watch the presentations by Steven (03:52 – 24:00) and Abimannan (24:08 – 37:30) to learn more!

Ask an Expert 3: Retrosynthetic nanocrystal analysis with Rohan Pokratath

Silicon has dominated as the material of choice in power electronics, but it is now being overtaken by silicon carbide SiO2. Yet, the many applications for silicon carbide mean that the search for alternatives is also critical. Rohan’s research therefore focuses on the use of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and hafnium dioxide (HfO2) as replacements for SiO2 in field-effect transistors.

By successfully enabling retrosynthetic analysis for these nanocrystals, Rohan’s research enables greater colloidal stability and control over nanocrystal size for hafnium and zirconium. This is particularly exciting, as group 4 oxides have many prospective applications, including superconducting and optical nanocomposites, dentistry, catalysis, and coatings.

Watch the webinar to find out more about the techniques Rohan used to support his research!

Ask an Expert 4: Drug solubility in polymers with Alex Mathers

Alex Mathers from UCT Prague presented a case study on the characterization and stability assessment of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based ASDs, and emphasized the crucial role of X-ray powder diffraction (XPRD) as an analytical technique.

XRPD is a powerful tool for distinguishing between amorphous and crystalline phases, quantifying recrystallization, and providing non-destructive analyses. In this case study, XRPD played a crucial role in assessing the stability of PVA-based solid dispersions of indomethacin and naproxen, offering valuable insights into their behavior and informing formulation adjustments to enhance stability.

Find out more about Alex’s research and the advantages of XRPD – watch the webinar!