SOURCES SOUGHT
66 -- INTEGRATED HYDRODYNAMIC CHROMATOGRAPHY AND STATIC AND DYNAMIC LIGHT SCATTERING SYSTEM
- Notice Date
- 3/1/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334516
— Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Acquisition Management Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Building 301, Room B129, Mail Stop 1640, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899-1640, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20899-1640
- Solicitation Number
- AMD-13-SS28
- Archive Date
- 3/30/2013
- Point of Contact
- Joni L Laster, Phone: 301-975-8397, Todd D Hill, Phone: 301-975-8802
- E-Mail Address
-
joni.laster@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov
(joni.laster@nist.gov, todd.hill@nist.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seeks information on commercial vendors that are capable of providing a system that integrates hydrodynamic chromatography and static and dynamic light scattering system for nanoparticle size characterization. After results of this market research are obtained and analyzed and specifications are developed for such a system that can meet NIST's minimum requirements, NIST may conduct a competitive procurement and subsequently award a Purchase Order. If at least two qualified small businesses are identified during this market research stage, then any competitive procurement that resulted would be conducted as a small business set-aside. NIST has a need for a measurement system that shall enable the integrated size separation of nanoparticles by hydrodynamic chromatography and the size characterization of nanoparticles by static and dynamic light scattering. The major subsystems that shall be included in this measurement system, along with the function and performance requirements, are described below. This measurement system shall integrate subsystems that shall automate the following operations: 1. Fluid Sampling and Handling: This subsystem shall automatically sample numerous vials containing fluid volumes of (0.1 to 1.0) mL of aqueous or organic solvents with nanoscale objects (i.e. particles or polymers of various compositions) of polydisperse size of (1 to 1,000 ) nm. This subsystem shall then flow these numerous samples into the subsystems at a flow rate of (0.1 to 1.0) mL/min with a limit of error of < 1 % of the flow rate. 2. Hydrodynamic Chromatography: This subsystem shall perform one of two related methods of hydrodynamic chromatography on the samples, with the selection of method performed by the user. The two methods are: a. Hollow fiber flow field flow fractionation (HF5). b. Asymmetric flow field flow fractionation (AF4). Both HF5 (which must include HPLC fittings on the disposable hollow fiber cartridges for high performance liquid chromatography) and AF4 are to be performed on the sample at a temperature that is set by the user and controlled by the subsystem over a range of (5 to 150) ºC or broader with a limit of error of < 0.1 ºC. The samples are thus separated from polydisperse mixtures of nanoscale objects of different hydrodynamic sizes into sub-samples containing nanoscale objects of monodisperse hydrodynamic size, which are sequentially eluted and flowed into the following subsystem. This subsystem shall include a degasser to remove air bubbles from solution, as well as a solvent recycler to reduce waste. 3. Static Light Scattering and Dynamic Light Scattering: This subsystem shall include a photometer and autocorrelator to perform simultaneous static and dynamic light scattering measurements, respectively, under identical experimental conditions on the sub-samples of monodisperse nanoscale objects. The light for scattering shall be obtained from a diode laser with a power of ≥ 100 mW with mode-hopping quenched. The sub-samples shall be eluted into a single flow cell and the following light scattering measurements shall be performed. a. Molar mass and root-mean square radius of gyration shall be measured by Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS) in a photometer with ≥ 18 scattered light detectors at various angles. b. Hydrodynamic radius by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), also known as Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering (QELS), shall be performed with a autocorrelator off of one of these ≥ 18 scattered light detectors. The light scattering measurements shall be performed on the sub-samples at an identical temperature which shall be set by the user and controlled by the subsystem over a range of (5 to 100) ºC or broader with a limit of error of < 0.1 ºC. The flow cell shall include an integrated ultrasonic cleaning mechanism to reduce fouling of the flow cell surfaces. The flow cell can be exchanged with either a scintillation vial or a microcuvette to measure a batch of nanoscale objects of polydispersed size separately from the fluid sampling and handling subsystem. The light scattering subsystem shall use integrated diagnostic equipment and shall display light detector outputs so that the user may monitor the performance of the system. 4. Control and Analysis: The overall measurement system shall include control and analysis software that shall integrate the hardware subsystems and enable measurement of the second order Virial coefficient and measurement of the absolute number densities of nanoscale objects in solution. NIST is seeking responses from all responsible sources, including large, foreign, and small businesses. Small businesses are defined under the associated NAICS code for this effort, 334516, as those domestic sources having 500 employees or less. Please include your company's size classification and socio-economic status in any response to this notice. Companies that manufacture systems that hydrodynamic chromatography and static and dynamic light scattering systems for nanoparticle size characterization are requested to email a detailed report describing their abilities to joni.laster@nist.gov no later than the response date for this sources sought notice. The report should include achievable specifications and any other information relevant to your product or capabilities. Also, the following information is requested to be provided as part of the response to this sources sought notice: 1. Name of the company that manufactures the system components for which specifications are provided. 2. Name of company(ies) that are authorized to sell the system components, their addresses, and a point of contact for the company (name, phone number, fax number and email address). 3. Indication of number of days, after receipt of order that is typical for delivery of such systems. 4. Indication of whether each instrument for which specifications are identified are currently on one or more GSA Federal Supply Schedule contracts and, if so, the GSA FSS contract number(s). 5. Any other relevant information that is not listed above which the Government should consider in developing its minimum specifications and finalizing its market research.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NIST/AcAsD/AMD-13-SS28/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20899, United States
- Zip Code: 20899
- Zip Code: 20899
- Record
- SN03001119-W 20130303/130302092152-8197499aa93c27c87427372ff16d7753 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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