dynamic light scattering malvern zetasizer

Ī DLS machine collects data by shining a laser through a sample, and then recording the scattered light intensity many times over a very short time interval. By studying how the light is scattered, we can draw conclusions about the size of the particles in the fluid. DLS shines a light on the particles (both metaphorically and literally!) and measures how that light is scattered over time. At its core, DLS relies on the fact that big particles move more slowly than small particles. Brownian motion simply refers to the random motion of particles suspended in a fluid - the suspended particles are constantly moving (or diffusing) as they collide with molecules of the fluid. Let’s get started! The Basic Principlesĭynamic light scattering measures the Brownian motion of particles in solution, and relates that motion to a specific particle size. I actually first learned to use DLS two years ago, but I didn’t write down a good summary of what I had learned so I am making sure that I write down the basic operating principle this time! In this post, I’m going to give an outline of how the method works, then go into some of the mathematics used in the analysis. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) is used to measure very small particles, typically on the order of 0.6nm - 6um, by studying how they move in solution. There are many ways to characterize and measure DNA nanostructures, and today I wanted to write about one tool in particular, dynamic light scattering (or photon correlation spectroscopy).

Dynamic light scattering malvern zetasizer