Fiber Analysis and Flow Imaging Microscopy
The analysis of fibrous particles has always presented a challenge. In systems that are volumetrically based like Coulter Counters, laser diffraction, and dynamic light scattering, Equivalent Spherical Diameter (ESD) is the only measurement provided, which is clearly not useful for fibers (example shown in Figure 1).
Due to this drawback, manual microscopy has been the main technique for the characterization of fibers where both width and length are analyzed. This process can be made dramatically quicker through the use of Flow Imaging Microscopy where computer algorithms are used instead of a human observer. Figure 2 presents the overview results of a FlowCam