Abstract
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques for studying sizes and shapes of nanoparticles in liquids are reviewed. In photon correlation spectroscopy (PCS), the time fluctuations in the intensity of light scattered by the particle dispersion are monitored. For dilute dispersions of spherical nanoparticles, the decay rate of the time autocorrelation function of these intensity fluctuations is used to directly measure the particle translational diffusion coefficient, which is in turn related to the particle hydrodynamic radius. For a spherical particle, the hydrodynamic radius is essentially the same as the geometric particle radius (including any possible solvation layers). PCS is one of the most commonly used methods for measuring radii of submicron size particles in liquid dispersions. Depolarized Fabry-Perot interferometry (FPI) is a less common dynamic light scattering technique that is applicable to optically anisotropic nanoparticles. In FPI the frequency broadening of laser light scattered by the particles is analyzed. This broadening is proportional to the particle rotational diffusion coefficient, which is in turn related to the particle dimensions. The translational diffusion coefficient measured by PCS and the rotational diffusion coefficient measured by depolarized FPI may be combined to obtain the dimensions of non-spherical particles. DLS studies of liquid dispersions of nanometer-sized oligonucleotides in a water-based buffer are used as examples.
References
Aragon S.R. & R. Pecora, 1975. Biopolymers 14, 119.
Banachowicz E., J. Gapinski & A. Patkowski, 2000. Biophys. J. 78, 70.
Berne B.J. & R. Pecora, 2000. Dynamic Light Scattering. Dover Publications, New York.
Broersma S., 1960. J. Chem. Phys. 32, 1626, 1632; ibid. 1980. 74, 6889.
Brown W., ed., 1993. Dynamic Light Scattering: The Method and Some Applications. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Bu Z., P.S. Russo, D.L. Tipton & I.I. Negulescu, 1994. Macromolecules 27, 6871.
Byron O., 1997. Biophys. J. 72, 408.
Camins B. & P.S. Russo, 1994. Langmuir 10, 4053.
Chu B., 1991. Laser Light Scattering, 2nd edn. Academic Press, New York.
Chu B. & T. Liu, 2000. J. Nanopart. Res. 2, 29.
Dierker S. et al., 1995. Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 449.
Durian D.J., D.A. Weitz & D.J. Pine, 1991. Science 252, 686.
Eden D. & J.G. Elias, 1983. In: B.E. Dahneke, ed. Measurement of Suspended Particles by Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
Eimer W. & R. Pecora, 1991. J. Chem. Phys. 94, 2324.
Eimer W. & Th. Dorfmüller, 1992. J. Phys. Chem. 96, 6790.
Eimer W., M. Niermann, M.A. Eppe & B.M. Jockusch, 1993. J. Mol. Biol. 229, 146.
Flamberg A. & R. Pecora, 1984. J. Phys. Chem. 88, 3026.
Garcia de la Torre J., M.C. Lopez Martinez & M.M. Tirado, 1984. Biopolymers 23, 611.
Garcia de la Torre J. & V. Bloomfield, 1981. Q. Rev. Biophys. 14, 81.
Garcia de la Torre J., S. Navarro & M.C. Lopez-Martinez, 1994. Biophys. J. 66, 1573.
Garcia de la Torre J. & J. Rodes, 1983. J. Chem. Phys. 79, 2454.
Graf C., W. Schaertl, M. Maskos & M. Schmidt, 2000. J. Chem. Phys. 112, 3031.
Haber-Pohlmeier S. & W. Eimer, 1993. J. Phys. Chem. 97, 3095.
Hellweg T., W. Eimer, E. Krahn, K. Schneider & A. Müller, 1997. Biochem. Biophys. Acta. 337, 311.
Kaszuba M., 1999. J. Nanopart. Res. 1, 405.
Lakowicz J.R., 1983. Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy. Plenum, New York.
Liu H., L. Skibinska, J. Gapinski, A. Patkowski, E.W. Fischer & R. Pecora, 1998. J. Chem. Phys. 109, 7556.
Michielsen S. & R. Pecora, 1981. Biochemistry 20, 6994.
Overbeck E. & Chr. Sinn, 1999. J. Mod. Optics 46, 303.
Patkowski A., W. Eimer & Th. Dorfmüller, 1990. Biopolymers 30, 93.
Patkowski A., W. Eimer, J. Seils, G. Schneider, B.M. Jockusch & Th. Dorfmüller, 1991. Biopolymers, 30, 1281.
Pecora R., ed., 1985. Dynamic Light Scattering: Applications of Photon Correlation Spectroscopy. Plenum, New York.
Perrin F., 1934. J. Phys. Rad. 5, 497; ibid. 1936. 7, 1.
Piazza R. & V. Gegiorgio, 1992. Physica A 182, 576.
Piazza R., J. Stavans, T. Bellini & V. Degiorgio, 1989. Opt. Commun. 73, 263.
Provencher S.W., 1982. Comput. Phys. Comm. 27, 213, 239.
Pusey P.N., R.J.A. Tough, 1985. In: R. Pecora, ed. Dynamic Light Scattering: Applications of Photon Correlation Spectroscopy. Plenum, New York.
Righini R., 1993. Science 262, 1386.
Schmitz K.S., 1990. An Introduction to Dynamic Light Scattering by Macromolecules. Academic Press, San Diego.
Schrof W., J. Klingler, W. Heckmann & D. Horn, 1998. Colloid. Polym. Sci. 276, 577.
Skibinska L., H. Liu, J. Gapinski, A. Patkowski, E.W. Fischer & R. Pecora, 1999. J. Chem. Phys. 110, 1794.
Startchev K., J. Zhang & C. Buffle, 1998. J. Coll. Interface Sci. 12.203, 189.
Teller D.C., E. Swanson & C. de Haen, 1979. Adv. Enzymol. 61, 103.
Thurn-Albrecht T. et al., 1999. Phys. Rev. E 59, 642.
Tirado M.M. & J. Garcia de la Torre, 1979. J. Chem. Phys. 71, 2581; ibid. 1980. 73, 1986.
Tirado M.M., M.C. Lopez Martinez & J. Garcia de la Torre, 1984. J. Chem. Phys. 81, 2047.
Venable R.M. & R.W. Pastor, 1988. Biopolymers 27, 1001.
Vo-Dinh T., G.D. Griffin, J.P. Alarie, B. Cullum, B. Sumpter & D. Noid, 2000. J. Nanopart. Res. 2, 17.
Ware B.R., D. Cyr, S. Gorti & F. Lanni, 1983. In: B.E. Dahneke, ed. Measurement of Suspended Particles by Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering. Wiley-Interscience, New York.
Wiese H. & D. Horn, 1991. J. Chem. Phys. 94, 6329.
Zero K.M. & R. Pecora, 1982. Macromolecules 15, 87.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pecora, R. Dynamic Light Scattering Measurement of Nanometer Particles in Liquids. Journal of Nanoparticle Research 2, 123–131 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010067107182
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010067107182