The broad application of nanoparticles with varied compositions and sizes calls for a rapid and accurate characterization method that can identify each individual type. Current techniques, such as electron microscopy, are far from being cost-effective.
Mohammad Reza Hormozi-Nezhad, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, Morteza Mahmoudi, Stanford University, CA, USA, and co-workers have developed a sensor array based on the optical responses of a variety of dyes to different nanoparticles. The array yields unique color dot patterns upon interaction with nanoparticles, thus enabling the facile and straightforward identification of particles, ranging from polymer-based nanobeads to quantum dots.
The researchers have demonstrated over 400 successful trial runs without any misclassification on this colorimetric sensing platform, making it a promising candidate for general nanoparticle identification and characterization.
- Determination of nanoparticles using UV-Vis spectra,
S. Behzadi, F. Ghasemi, M. Ghalkhani, A. A. Ashkarran, S. M. Akbari, S. Pakpour, M. R. Hormozi-Nezhad, Z. Jamshidi, S. Mirsadeghi, R. Dinarvand, F. Atyabi, M. Mahmoudi,
Nanoscale 2015.
DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00580e
