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Part of the Oxford Instruments Group
MQC-R characterises important physical properties (e.g. mobility, microstructure and mass transport) and composition (e.g. water and fluorine content) of samples across food science, chemical research, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, polymers, batteries, construction materials, and many other disciplines. Uniquely, MQC-R is configurable with a range of nuclei (e.g., 1H, 19F) and probe sizes.
Unlike other techniques used to obtain the same sample properties, TD-NMR is non-invasive and non-destructive, often requires minimal sample preparation, and characterises both transparent and opaque samples. Another major advantage of TD-NMR is that it does not require hazardous chemicals and can be used on a laboratory benchtop, moveable workstation, or near line in manufacturing.
MQC-R builds on our long history of innovative and industry leading TD-NMR research instruments. Combined with our comprehensive and worldwide customer and applications support; it enables researchers to accelerate new product development, investigate and characterise new materials, and improve manufacturing processes.
Click the hotspots below to explore MQC-R:
MQC-R magnet unit and probe
External PC running easy-to-use software
Moveable workstation (option)
Easily move the MQC-R between locations.
MQC-R electronics unit
Power supply and system control for standard relaxometry measurements and sample heating
Gas-controlled variable temperature (option)
Gradient amplifier (option)
Note, requires at least one probe with 1D gradient coils
The MQC-R can perform a wide range of experiments to determine many important sample properties. Key application areas inclue:
With growing demand, research into battery materials that can provide rapid charging and higher energy density is increasingly important. Furthermore, measurements used to characterise those materials may be subsequently used to monitor their consistency during manufacturing.
For example, 1H relaxation characterises the physical properties of slurry mixtures utilised for coating. Those same measurements can monitor consistency of the slurry composition and, as a result, optimise the coating process.
MQC-R is an ideal instrument for researching, developing, and manufacturing batteries, as well as helping discover new battery materials, and ensuring strict control over the manufacturing.
The MQC-R can be used to study:
Properties of food, such as flavour and texture, critically depend on the distribution and microstructure of its various ingredients, including additives such as emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners. The food industry, therefore, requires powerful analytical tools for optimizing products and ensuring their compliance with quality standards.
In addition to oil, solid fat, and water content measurements, MQC-R provides bulk measurements of physical properties in foods without alteration. This is measured indirectly using the microscopic distribution of water/fat. Water mobility and content, measured by NMR relaxation, is particularly sensitive to its environment as well as macromolecule properties, for example, protein concentration, aggregation, and denaturation.
The pulsed field gradient option enables measurement of self- and restricted- diffusion; the latter allows determination of droplet size distributions in emulsions, e.g. dairy and non-dairy spreads. PFG is also required for 1D profiles, or imaging, which can be used to monitor in real time the migration of water (hydration), and solids (sedimentation).
MQC-R provides a fast and easy bulk measurement of droplet size distributions for QA/QC, e.g. margarines. Sample preparation is minimal and the food emulsions can be chilled using a variable temperature probe to keep their structure intact during measurement, which penetrates the whole sample.
Polymers are undoubtedly one of the most crucial classes of functional materials, powering a wide range of everyday applications. With the constantly evolving advancements in the field, it is critical to have dependable methods for polymer-related research and quality control. MQC-R offers a versatile portfolio of reliable solutions for investigating polymer systems, from developing and studying new materials to process and quality control of the final product.
1H relaxation measured by MQC-R can correlate to a wide range of physical and mechanical properties of polymers and elastomers, including amorphous/crystalline content, cross-linking density, and crystallisation kinetics. Combining relaxometry with the variable temperature capability allows polymer phase transitions to be monitored. Similarly, 19F relaxation may be used to study fluoropolymers and fluoroelastomers, as well as quantify their fluorine content.
MQC-R with pulsed field gradient (PFG) capability can measure molecular diffusion, which relates to the molecular weight/ molecular weight distribution of an unknown polydisperse polymer.
MQC-R portfolio of polymer methods can significantly help R&D, many of which are accessible from easy-to-use industrial application software typically used in process and quality control without requiring further knowledge of NMR.
Hardware
| Magnetic field strength (operating frequency) | 0.55 Tesla (23MHz for ¹H) |
| Probe size diameter (sample volume) | 10 mm (1ml), 18 mm (7ml), 26 mm (14 ml) |
| P90 (10 mm probe) | <3 μs |
| Data sampling rate | Dependent on filters, typically 16 MHz/16 bit |
| Data point capacity | >128k |
| RF power | 250 W 10% duty cycle |
| Pulsed field gradients (along probe bore)* | ≥3.0 T/m |
| Liquid-controlled variable temperature probe (¹H only)* | 10 mm or 18 mm, -5°C to +70°C (requires additional equipment) |
| Gas-controlled variable temperature probe* | Coming soon... |
| PC | External Windows 11 PC and monitor is supplied with research systems. Integrated PC and monitor is supplied for QA/QC only systems, e.g. droplet size. |
*Options
Research software
This exclusive, user-orientated research software is powered by Green Imaging.
Package |
Experiments Included |
Standard / Option |
MQC-R Base |
|
Standard on all research systems |
MQC-R Standard Gradient |
|
Standard on all research systems with pulsed field gradient hardware |
MQC-R 2D Relaxometry |
|
Optional |
MQC-R Advanced Gradient |
|
Optional, requires pulsed field gradient hardware |
Industry focused software
Any Oxford Instruments TD-NMR QA/QC application software (e.g. oil, water, solid fat, fluorine and amorphous/crystalline content) can be installed alongside the research software. The MQC-R can also be solely used for QA/QC applications that only the MQC-R hardware supports, for example droplet size distribution (DSD) of emulsions. In these instances the MQC-R will be configured with Oxford Instruments TD-NMR QA/QC application software only, and the research software will be an optional upgrade.
