It is never easy choosing the top three new products exhibited at Pittcon. There are always many to choose from and several that stand out for technical advancements, innovative features and new configurations. IBO judges new products based on originality, technical achievement, and potential for commercial success.

This year, our three choices are each the first of their kind. Each system is completely unique in their respective markets. All three choices demonstrate new developments for mature technologies and are designed to expand end-user’s applications. In doing so, they open up new applications and provide a meaningful difference in the marketplace.

PANalytical’s Empyrean XRD

PANalytical presented a novel concept in X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis with the Empyrean platform. The PIXcel3D detector, developed in concert with CERN, can be utilized as a point detector, line detector or area detector. But the true innovation is the ability of the detector to carry out X-ray tomography of the sample, without reducing performance.

The Empyrean includes many improvements. The X-ray source, the new Empyrean tube, provides power up to 3 kW. The ceramic X-ray tubes are smaller and lighter. The sample stages can hold solid samples with masses of up to 2 kg, or other samples under non-ambient conditions.

The Empyrean is designed for different sample types, including powders, thin films, nanomaterials and solid samples. The unique capability of the PIXcel3D detector allows the correlation of XRD data with the X-ray tomography, providing nondestructive 3D chemical analysis and imagery of samples. Applications include the nondestructive analyses of pharmaceutical tablets, archeological specimens, or mechanical stresses within metal or electronic components. Shipments are expected in June of this year. Pricing ranges from $100,000 to $300,000.

Wyatt Technology’s MÖBIUS Mobility Instrument

Wyatt Technology introduced the MÖBIUS that measures the electrophoretic mobilities of macromolecules, such as liposomes and virus-like particles. Wyatt states that the system is the only laser-based instrument that achieves reproducible measurements of protein samples, including antibody formulations, bovine serum albumin and lysozyme. Where other systems destroy or cook the proteins in the sample when applying the electric field, the MÖBIUS uses a minimally invasive technique to measure a protein’s mobility, employing an applied voltage of 3 V and a shortened measurement time to preserve integrity.

The system features a field strength of 20 V/cm and a massive parallelism of detection that extends the measurable molecular size range below 2 nm. In addition, the system provides an order of magnitude greater sensitivity than other systems, according to Wyatt. It also features the WyattQELS option that allows simultaneous measurements of the macromolecular hydrodynamic radius, which utilizes backward scattered light to determine the sample translational diffusion coefficient. The MÖBIUS is expected to ship later this year for $55,000–$75,000.

Dionex’s ICS-5000 Reagent Free Ion Chromatography System

Dionex introduced the ICS-5000 Reagent Free Ion Chromatography (RFIC) system, which combines the functionality of its other high-end IC systems with capillary IC technology. The system features ICxIC technology in capillary and analytical scales that allow users to achieve ultra-low detection limits without the need of a MS. The system is also optimized for fast IC, shortening run times to as low as 3–5 minutes. The ICS-5000 also provides three months of uninterrupted operation with 2 L of deionized water. The starting price is around $38,000.

Honorable Mentions:

• Agilent’s 5975T GC/MSD

• Affinity Biosensors’ Archimedes

• Bruker’s Fourier 300 NMR

• CEM’s Discover SP-D Pressurized

Microwave Digestion System

• PerkinElmer’s NexION 300

ICP-MS

• Spectro Analytical’s Spectro MS

ICP-MS