Reference standards are crucial for Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) characterization, to ensure accurate instrument calibration and provide reliable, reproducible size and concentration measurements. Typical standards, such as polystyrene latex nanoparticles, have low refractive index disparities relative to water, which may cause sensitivity limitations when using NTA to characterize small (less than 50 nm) samples. Conversely, gold nanoparticles have a higher refractive index disparity and exhibit surface plasmon resonance, which can lead to enhanced scattering of light and improved NTA sensitivity when measuring smaller metallic or biological nanoparticle samples.
In this webinar, HORIBA and nanoComposix outline how to utilize gold nanoparticle standards for nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) applications. Particle counting standards, such as nanoComposix’s Ultra Uniform Gold Nanoparticle Number Standard, are colloidal nanoparticles formulated at directly characterized particle number concentrations applicable to NTA’s dynamic range. These standards provide the highest uniformity in size and shape and are suitable for orthogonal precision characterization techniques (TEM, sp-ICP-MS, etc), whereas PSL and other “soft” materials are not. Attendees will learn about the fundamentals of NTA and how to utilize gold nanoparticle number standards to improve instrument calibration and achieve reliable and accurate measurements for various NTA applications.
