An elemental analyzer is an instrument that can determine the elemental composition of a sample. The analyzer may simply determine which elements are present, or it may make a quantitative analysis to identify how much of each element is present. In some cases, isotopic composition may also be determined. Elemental analyzers are used in many…
California aims to grab CHIPS Act funds
By Gordon Feller The bipartisan “2022 Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act of 2022” (CHIPS and Science Act) aims to increase semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. through a five-year federal investment of $52 billion. With U.S.-China tensions and the potential vulnerability of production in Taiwan, and broader issues of supply chain reliability,…
The pizza box problem — and why it might kill everything from Teflon to drugs
By Mark Jones It looks innocuous in my hand, yet there are growing calls to ban it. It may use technology created for the Manhattan Project, but, in my hand, it doesn’t feel like a weapon. It feels natural, in spite of the very unnatural materials it may contain. I’m not at all cautious as…
Tescan’s UniTOM HR is focus of Episode 9 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
R&D World editors Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas are back, and this time they’re talking about a lot of news, in addition to the technology of the day. First, they delve into some important updates about the R&D 100 Awards for 2023 — and then dip their toes into the strange new world of AI…
2023 R&D 100 Awards program is now open for submissions
The 61st R&D 100 Awards program is now open for submissions. The program is open to corporate, government, and academic R&D organizations across the globe, and has been called “The Oscars of Innovation.” First established in 1963, the R&D 100 Awards is the only S&T (science and technology) awards competition that recognizes new commercial products, technologies…
R&D World announces new Professional Awards as part of R&D 100
In 2023, as the R&D 100 Awards program embarks on its 61st annual honors, the competition is being expanded to include a slate of Professional Awards. These new awards are aimed at recognizing outstanding individuals and teams who make a difference in research and development organizations across the globe — whether working in corporate, academic, or…
What is a mass spectrometer?
A mass spectrometer is an instrument which ionizes a sample, separates the ions depending on their mass-to-charge ratio, and measures the intensity of the ions present at different mass-to-charge ratios. This can be used to determine the elements or isotopes present in the sample. The technique of mass spectrometry can be best understood by considering…
What is liquid chromatography?
Chromatography is a common laboratory technique used to separate a mixture into its individual components, or fractions. This can allow the components to be identified and quantified. The first stage in chromatography is to dissolve the mixture in a fluid solvent, which may be either a liquid or a gas. The fluid solvent is known…
What are microwave assisted extraction systems?
Microwave assisted extraction is used to extract compounds from matrices, such as oils and other volatile natural products from plant matter. It can be used for both testing and routine extraction in areas including food testing, biofuel and medicine production, and the environmental analysis of soils, sludge and waste matter. Methods such as microwave assisted…
What is ion chromatography?
Chromatography is commonly used to separate mixtures into their individual components. Most commonly, this involves separating a mixture dissolved in a liquid solvent, by passing the solution over a solid surface, with the components moving at different rates depending on their affinity for the surface. In ion chromatography, ions and polar molecules are separated based…
What are laboratory evaporators?
Laboratory evaporators are used to vaporize a liquid sample or the liquid component of a preparation. This is typically in order to remove the liquid from a preparation that is required to be either concentrated or dry for analysis. Evaporation is often used to prepare samples before mass spectrometry, gas chromatography or liquid chromatography. Laboratory…
A look at five of the best-read stories of 2022
2022 has been a busy year for the R&D community, from the continuing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic to the repercussions on the economy and funding for future research. We’ve seen some amazing breakthroughs and innovations — and welcomed back the R&D 100 Awards banquet dinner. It’s been a busy year in the industry. Here’s…
Ohio grows into a globally recognized R&D hub
By Gordon Feller With top-notch universities, federal research institutes, leading companies from nine major industry sectors, and 14 top-ranked hospital systems, Ohio is a “quiet giant” of innovation in industrial sectors and life science. Ohio has the fifth-highest number of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies — and is home to more than 120 NYSE/Nasdaq…
R&D 100 Winners for 2022 are announced
The Winners of the 2022 R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine. This renowned worldwide science and innovation competition, celebrating its 60th year, received entries from a dozen different countries and regions. This year’s esteemed judging panel included nearly 50 well-respected industry professionals from across the world. Finalists were announced last week.…
R&D 100 Finalists for 2022 are announced
Finalists for the 2022 R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine. This renowned worldwide science and innovation competition, celebrating its 60th year, received entries from a dozen different countries and regions. This year’s esteemed judging panel included nearly 50 well-respected industry professionals from across the world. The Finalists are listed below by…
What are pipette controllers?
Pipettes are used to deliver small measured volumes of liquid. They include several manually operated instruments including a simple Pasteur pipette, graduated pipettes and the considerably more accurate volumetric pipettes. Pipette controllers are devices attached to a conventional pipette to allow more user friendly and accurate operation. They enable the user to rapidly fill and…
What are nanocatalysts?
Nanocatalysts are catalysts made up of nanoparticles or some other nanostructure such as a nanofoam. A catalyst is a material which increases the rate of a chemical reaction, without itself being altered or changed by the reaction. Nanostructures are engineered structures with features at the nanoscale — between one and 100 nanometers. An obvious advantage…
What are nanostructures?
Nanostructures are engineered structures with features at the nanoscale — between 1 and 100 nanometers. They include nanotextured surfaces, nanoparticles and nanotubes, as well as more complex nano-scale structures. A nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter, which is just slightly larger than the atomic scale — individual atoms in a solid are between…
What are graduated cylinders?
Graduated cylinders are a common type of laboratory glassware. They are an elongated cylindrical vessel, with graduations to indicate the volume of liquid held, and typically a spout to ease pouring. Graduated cylinders very similar to beakers, but while beakers are relatively short and wide to facilitate storage and mixing, graduated cylinders are taller and…
What are flasks?
A flask is a common piece of laboratory glassware. They are used for storing, mixing and measuring liquids, a similar role to beakers and graduated cylinders. Flasks are available in various shapes but what makes them a distinct from other laboratory containers is that they have a wider body with a narrower neck extending to…
Judging panel announced for 2022 R&D 100 awards program
This year’s iteration of the esteemed R&D 100 Awards features a judging panel comprised of nearly 50 professionals from across the globe, who boast an impressive collection of accomplishments and honors. Finalists in this year’s 60th R&D 100 Awards will be announced on August 15th at rdworldonline.com. Winners of this year’s R&D 100 Awards, along…
Certara’s COVID vaccine model is focus of Episode 8 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
R&D World editors Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas have their minds blown — multiple times! — in this episode, which delves into Certara’s Simcyp COVID-19 Vaccine Model, a 2021 R&D 100 Awards winner. Paul interviews Piet van der Graaf, Senior Vice President and Head of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology for Certara and learns about the genesis…
What are nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles are engineered particles of between one and 100 nanometers in diameter, a size known as the nanoscale. To put this into context, a nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter, and the distance between individual atoms in a solid is between 0.1 nm and 0.4 nm. Nanoparticles therefore range in size from tens…
Nalu Medical’s mIPG is focus of Episode 7 of R&D 100 – The Podcast
Our co-hosts Paul Heney and Aimee Kalnoskas are talking pain in this episode — that’s some serious chronic pain. They investigate one of the most interesting recent inventions for treating this debilitating condition, something that many of us will deal with at some point in our lives. Paul and Aimee hear from Lee Hartley and Jonathan Ruais…
2022 Global Funding Forecast: Strong R&D growth with clouds on the horizon
For 2022, U.S. industrial organizations are expected to collectively invest $447 billion in R&D efforts, or about 65.8% of the total R&D monies invested by the U.S. ($679.4 billion). That industrial investment is more than all other global countries except for China. The U.S. federal government is expected to invest $181.4 billion in R&D in…