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Precise Electrochemical Sizing of Individual Electro-Inactive Particles
Published on: August 4, 2023
Emerging techniques for submicrometer particle sizing applied to Stöber silica
Nia C Bell1, Caterina Minelli, Jordan Tompkins
1Department of Materials, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 26, 2012
Summary
Accurate submicrometer particle sizing is crucial for many applications. This study compares emerging and established techniques, finding that complementary methods provide a more complete characterization, including density and porosity.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Accurate characterization of submicrometer and nanometer particles is vital for applications in cosmetics, biosensors, renewable energy, and electronics.
- Particle size is a principal parameter influencing behavior and quantifying other characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comparatively evaluate emerging and established techniques for submicrometer particle sizing.
- To assess sizing precision, relative resolution, and underlying physical principles of different methods.
- To develop a framework for comparing particle sizing techniques.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of six techniques: Scanning Ion Occlusion Sensing (SIOS), Differential Centrifugal Sedimentation (DCS), Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Mobility Particle Sizing (SMPS), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS).
- Utilized in-house synthesized Stöber silica particles (100-400 nm) as reference materials.
- Evaluated size distributions (mode, arithmetic mean, standard deviation) and associated uncertainties, including statistical uncertainties for single-particle counting techniques.
Main Results:
- Q-Q plots were employed to analyze the shapes of particle size distributions.
- Uncertainties for each of the six techniques were rigorously evaluated.
- Emerging techniques (SIOS, DCS, NTA) were compared against established methods (TEM, SMPS, DLS).
Conclusions:
- Complementary use of multiple particle sizing techniques yields a more comprehensive characterization.
- Beyond size, additional particle properties like density and porosity can be determined through integrated approaches.
