2. • If the particles or molecules are illuminated with a
laser, the intensity of the scattered light fluctuates at
a rate that is dependent upon the size of the particles
• Analysis of these intensity fluctuations yields the
velocity of the Brownian motion and hence the
particle size using the Stokes-Einstein relationship.
Principle of Measurement
3. Brownian Motion
Particles, emulsions and
molecules in suspension
undergo Brownian motion.
This is the motion induced by the
bombardment by solvent
molecules that themselves are
moving due to their thermal
energy
Temperature and viscosity must
be known
4. The velocity of the Brownian motion is defined by a
property known as the translational diffusion
coefficient (usually given the symbol, D).
Stokes-Einstein relationship
13. Correlogram from a
sample containing
large particles
Correlogram from a
sample containing
small particles
14.
15.
16.
17. Low
concentration turbidity is linear with
concentration
High
concentration
Particles are so close together
that the scattered radiation is
re-scattered by other particles.
21. Information
Size by:
- Intensity I d6
Rayleigh Scattering
(For nanoparticles less than d =λ/10 or around 60nm
the scattering will be equal in all
Directions-isotropic)
22. This particles will scatter 106 (one million) times
more light than the small particle (8 nm)
The contribution to the total light scattered by the
small particles will be extremely small
8 nm
80 nm
30. Direct determination of the number-weighted
mean radius and polydispersity from dynamic
light-scattering data
Philipus et al., Applied Optics, 45, 2209 (2006)
We find that converting intensity-weighted
distributions is not always reliable, especially when
the polydispersity of the sample is large.