Bodycomb J., Bath F., Treviranus I., Park K., Hou A.
Horiba Scientific, US
Keywords: characterization, light scattering, nanoparticle, size
Nanoparticle development and manufacturing require particle characterization to determine if design or quality goals are being met. Scattering techniques are the method of choice for analyzing average size and size distribution. There are two light scattering techniques that can be applied to the nanoscale: laser diffraction (LD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The measurement physics and therefore the measurement results differ between the techniques. This effort is to make a direct comparison between the two methods. After appropriate dilution of a concentrated nanoemulsion, the sample was measured by LD and DLS and the results compared. In all cases, the size determined by DLS increased along with the size determined by LD. That is, the results from both techniques will show the same trend. However, the determined sizes differed by up to 20%. This is likely due to the different way each technique responds to the width of the size distribution. Since the results from each technique differ and these differences need to be considered when choosing a technique.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2012: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites (Volume 1)
Published: June 18, 2012
Pages: 52 - 54
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Materials Characterization & Imaging
ISBN: 978-1-4665-6274-5