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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
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Performing Spectroscopy on Plasmonic Nanoparticles with Transmission-Based Nomarski-Type Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
Published on: June 5, 2019
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Multiplexed TEM Specimen Preparation and Analysis of Plasmonic Nanoparticles
Sean K Mulligan1, Jeffrey A Speir1, Ivan Razinkov1,2
1The National Resource for Automated Molecular Microscopy, La Jolla, California, 92037, USA.
Summary
A new system enables rapid screening of hundreds of nanoparticle samples using automated transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and advanced image analysis for size and shape characterization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Characterizing nanomaterials is crucial for developing advanced applications.
- Traditional methods for nanoparticle analysis can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
- High-throughput screening is needed to accelerate materials discovery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and present a novel automated system for high-throughput nanoparticle screening.
- To enable rapid characterization of size, shape, and morphology of numerous nanoparticle samples.
- To demonstrate the system's utility in analyzing plasmonically active nanomaterials.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a liquid handling robot to deposit up to 96 samples onto a single transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grid.
- Employing automated software for multiscale image acquisition within the TEM.
- Implementing image analysis algorithms to extract nanoparticle size, shape, and morphology metrics.
Main Results:
- Successfully screened hundreds of nanoparticle samples rapidly.
- Obtained detailed size, shape, and morphology data for each sample.
- Characterized plasmonically active nanomaterials using the developed system.
Conclusions:
- The automated TEM system significantly enhances the efficiency of nanoparticle characterization.
- This high-throughput approach accelerates the study and development of nanomaterials.
- The system is versatile and applicable to various types of nanomaterials, including plasmonic ones.
