Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis for Multiparameter Characterization and Counting of Nanoparticle Suspensions

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biotechnology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) is a powerful technique for characterizing nanoparticles in liquid suspension.
• It enables real-time visualization, sizing, and counting of particles within the 10 nm to 1 μm range.
• NTA operates on a particle-by-particle basis, analyzing Brownian motion to determine hydrodynamic diameter.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the application of NTA for analyzing model nanospheres (~100 nm) in liquid suspension.
• To highlight the versatility of NTA for a wide range of particulate materials.
• To provide insights into optimizing NTA for different sample types.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) to study model nanospheres.
• Focused on particles approximately 100 nm in size, representative of the middle of the NTA working range.
• Adjusted instrument settings for optimal analysis of nanospheres in liquid suspension.

Main Results:

• Achieved high-resolution particle size distributions for model nanospheres within minutes.
• Demonstrated the capability of NTA to accurately size and count nanoparticles.
• Confirmed the effectiveness of NTA across its operational size range (10 nm to 1 μm).

Conclusions:

• NTA is a highly effective method for the real-time characterization of nanoparticles in suspension.
• The technique is adaptable for analyzing diverse nanomaterials, including protein complexes, nanoparticles, viruses, and vesicles.
• With appropriate instrument adjustments, NTA can be reliably applied to materials across its entire size range.