Particle characterization and size analysis

Published on February 29, 2024   28 min

A selection of talks on Pharmaceutical Sciences

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0:00
Hello, my name is Eva Rose Balog, and I am an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of New England. Today I will be telling you about methods of particle characterization and sizing.
0:14
In this talk, I'll start by discussing the significance and practical applications of particle characterization. I'll lay out our lecture objectives, focus on the basics of particles, dive into types of particles, and explore size, definitions and distributions. We'll survey selected common techniques for particle characterization. While we don't have time to do a deep dive into each of these techniques, please know that each of them is theoretically and technically very interesting and their physical principles are very fun to learn about. But we'll focus more on applications. Then we'll consider some questions and challenges. Look at recent advances and future trends. Finally, we'll wrap up with some key conclusions of the lecture.
0:60
Let's start by defining what we mean by a particle. One theoretical definition is a bounded region of space with distinct physical or optical properties compared to its surrounding medium. In practical terms, a particle is a small, distinguishable entity within a sample, something we can isolate, measure, and characterize independently.
1:25
In nanotechnology, bioscience, and pharmaceutical science, the particles under study usually range from individual biomolecules at the nanoscale to vesicle-like assemblies or individual cells or compartments at the micrometer scale. People studying natural particulate materials like soil or dust, or air pollution in the geosciences or industrial materials like cement or advanced rubbers might deal with larger particles in the millimeter range. But this talk will mostly discuss particles that are in the microscopic or subvisible range, Which includes nanomaterials like liposomes and polymeric assemblies.