Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Measurement of Particle Size Distribution in Turbid Solutions by Dynamic Light Scattering Microscopy
Published on: January 9, 2017
Electric birefringence evaluation of particle size distributions: theory for polydisperse equivalent spheres
Abstract:
Electric fields induce orientational order in particulate suspensions thereby rendering them birefringent. The decay rate of the birefringence following the field termination is characteristic of sample size, shape, and polydispersity. Theory is developed herein for the evaluation of a two-parameter function for the distribution of sizes of arbitrarily shaped particles in terms of their equivalent spherical diameters. An experimental procedure, involving the measurement of the birefringence decay characteristics in two well-defined experimental conditions, is outlined and used to check the theory for a colloidal suspension of polytetrafluoro-ethylene particles in water.
Related Concept Videos
Electric Field of a Non Uniformly Charged Sphere
Consider a non-uniformly charged sphere, for which the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. Such a sphere has a spherically symmetrical charge distribution. Here, the electric...
The de Broglie Wavelength
Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry
Electrochemical Systems
Polymers: Molecular Weight Distribution
Electric Field of a Charged Disk
The system's symmetry is in the cylindrical directions across the plane of the charge. As a result, the electric fields created by various surface charge elements nullify each other in the direction parallel to the surface. Thereby, the resulting electric field is perpendicular to the plane. Since the disk is...

