Nanoparticle Characterization

Overview

Nanoparticles are used in a wide range of fields such as medicine, material engineering, food technology, electronics, and more. Due to their small size dedicated technology is required to measure and characterize their different attributes such as size and electrical properties. Particle Metrix and Colloid Metrix manufacture instruments for characterizing size distribution, concentration, surface charge (zeta potential), conductivity, and changes of these parameters under different physical and chemical conditions.

Use Cases

Biologically derived nanoparticles such as exosomes are used as therapeutic agents and as disease biomarkers but it is difficult to differentiate between the different populations that exist in serum/CSF/plasma/saliva. The ZetaView system is designed for high-resolution separation of these populations based on small size differences, surface charge, and fluorescently marked surface epitopes. For highly concentrated uniform nanoparticles, like ones used in material engineering, the NanoFlex II combined with the Stabino II gives the ideal solution for measuring changes in particle size and electric properties under continuous pH change. This mapping of particle behavior assists in setting ideal conditions for self-assembly/agglomeration/segregation, storage, and more.

Unique Benefits

Particle Metrix and Colloid Metrix provide a total solution for nanoparticle characterization with fast accurate results and easy to use workflow – with unique advantages as compared to other instruments on the market.

The Zetaview system utilizes Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) technology for the characterization of nanoparticles in suspension. NTA tracks the Brownian motion of individual nanoparticles under a laser light source. By analyzing their movement patterns, the system determines the hydrodynamic size and size distribution (polydispersity) of the particles. Additionally, some Zetaview models can measure the zeta potential, a crucial parameter reflecting the surface charge of a particle. The NTA method provides a rapid and non-invasive approach for characterizing nanoparticles in various applications, including disease biomarker detection, protein research, and drug delivery.

The Stabino II uses a unique mechanism for fast measurement of particle properties such as Zeta Potential, streaming potential, conductivity, pH, and temperature from 0.3nm to 300um particles and concentration up to 40% volume. The fast continuous measurement can be done while titrating the sample with acids of bases to get a complete profile of the particle behavior under different conditions. By combining the Stabino II with the NanoFlex II, it is also possible to track the change in particle size, in correlation with its electrical properties.

The NanoFlex II is a unique system for measuring the size distribution of particles from 0.3nm to 10um. The NanoFlex II applies heterodyne 180° backscattering DLS which increases selectivity and sensitivity compared to other DLS-based systems. The system can be used by inserting the probe into the sample or by flipping the probe and putting a small drop on it. The NanoFlex II is capable of measuring highly concentrated solutions of up to 40% PPM. The combination of the NanoFlex II with the Stabino II gives the most complete solution for particle characterization.