“THINKY MIXER, described by a leading expert in the field of nanoparticles

The following describes an interview with Professor Hidehiro Kamiya of Graduate School of Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, who is one of the leading experts in the field of powder technology and has been using THINKY MIXER for a long time.

1. Launching research on nanotechnology ahead of becoming popular

When I received my doctorate degree 28 years ago, my respected thesis advisor told me that the main research subject in the future would be “nanoparticles” and “adhesion of fine particles at high temperature”. Consequently, I have been working on these subjects since early in my career.
I started research in nanotechnology well before the Clinton Administration in the USA set it as a national strategic research target. Regarding the problem of high-temperature adhesion of fine particles, there have been offers for joint research from companies on an ongoing basis. In fact, it has become clear that adhesion of high-temperature ash, occurring during the generation of electricity using coal and biomass, can be a severe technical obstacle.
I have also conducted research on PM2.5 for more than 10 years. It is very important to start research before the topic becomes popular, I believe.

2. THINKY MIXER has been used for more than 20 years

It was about 20 years ago when I first learned about THINKY MIXER. I think that it was just after the model MX-201 became available. I installed the machine following the recommendation by a company. The important point is its excellent ability to knead and defoam a small amount of sample at the laboratory level. At that time, it was used for premixing when adding trace elements to ceramics to prepare slurry and for preliminary surface reforming when adding particles of poor wettability to organic solvents.

“Try mixing for now” – Can be used easily and casually

Recently, it is being used mainly for dispersing fine particles in a solvent for producing polymer composites and for preparing slurry of an electrode material for lithium ion batteries. It is suitable also for premixing fine particles in dry form.
I have used THINKY MIXER in various experiments up to now and I cannot remember all of them. The nice point is that it can be easily and casually used with the feeling of “try mixing for now”. It operates by a simple procedure and does not fail, unless you make serious errors.
It is also attractive that the mixing process is completed in a short time. I think that it is a very effective device for preparing stable suspensions and mixtures.
A few months ago, I bought a new model, THINKY MIXER ARE-310, to replace MX-201, which was used for many years.

4. Application to 3D printers as well

One of the recent main research subjects is to elucidate the mechanism of fine-particle dispersion by, for example, surface modification. The first subject is whether fine particles and nanoparticles can be freely dispersed and aggregated.
After the research on fine-particle dispersion, I will also work on the development of coating and molding methods and the elucidation of the corresponding mechanisms. In particular, I am considering the preparation of ceramic fine particles for 3D printers.

Remarks after the interview

Currently, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is focusing on the reeducation of working adults in the doctorate course and has accepted students from many companies. It was also recognized as a Program for Leading Graduate Schools, and a five-year program combining master’s and doctorate courses will be established in the next fiscal year for the first time in Japan. As the Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Kamiya is busy also with those activities. The Faculty of Engineering of the University has the highest proportion of female students up to the master’s course among national universities in Japan. He wants to increase the ratio of female doctoral students as well in the future.

Hidehiro Kamiya
Doctor of Engineering
Professor, Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Dean, Graduate School of Bio-Applications and Systems Engineering