(Windsor, ON, Friday, December 9, 2022) – An industrial partnership between PROTO Manufacturing Ltd. and the University of Windsor has resulted in the development of a cuttingedge scientific instrument for the discovery of new solid materials.
The system, called the High-Throughput Laboratory Powder Diffractometer, or LPD-HT uses x rays to rapidly test small amounts of such materials as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, minerals, and new nanomaterials.
The team, spearheaded by UWindsor chemistry and biochemistry Nick Vukotic, filed a provisional patent around the design of the new instrument in early 2022.
Dr. Vukotic, who holds an industrial research chair at UWindsor, says the instrument operates 100 times better than previous instruments, allowing researchers to collect data 10 times faster using a very small sample size – a mere 10 per cent of what was previously required.
“Our ability to test very small quantities rapidly and obtain high-quality data means that researchers can quickly find out if they are on the right track, saving valuable time and resources.
Previously, we could only run around 20 samples in a day, now if we want to, we can do over 500 -- it’s quite amazing,” he says.
PROTO, a local high-tech scientific instrument company, already has plans to add the instrument to their product line with an eye to building the LPD-HT in its new production and Research & Development facility in LaSalle.
“The partnership we have with PROTO is truly unique in that it has both a local and global impact,” he says., “Locally, it enhances the research capabilities of the University, creates jobs, and provides an excellent training environment to students who get to use the newly developed equipment.
Globally, it gives academic and industrial researchers everywhere new tools to speed up their research and reduce the time required to make ground-breaking discoveries.”
He says the new system, which is expected to retail for more than $500,000, brings PROTO a significant advantage in the competitive global market of high-end scientific instrumentation.
The new instrument will become the cornerstone of a new materials discovery facility which will be open to other universities and interested companies and partners.
The team anticipates significant interest from companies working on everything from pharmaceuticals or nutraceuticals formulations to environmental companies interested in soil analysis.
Vukotic says the next stage of the project involves developing accessories for the LPD-HT system to expand the tool’s ability to identify unique materials, such as those in greenhouse gasses.
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CONTACT:
Lori Lewis
Manager, Communications and Publications
University of Windsor
519-890-3300 (cell)
llewis@uwindsor.ca