Size and Size Distribution of Gold Nanoparticles by SAXS

Many materials gain their properties from the grain size of their constituting particles. Examples are the activity of catalysts and enzymes, the mechanical stability of ceramics and the thermal, electrical and optical properties of nanoparticles. Aggregate formation and imperfect redispersion may lead to an effective particle size in suspension much larger than the primary particle size. Coalescence is one of the main break-down processes in emulsions. This application note demonstrates the measurement of Gold nanoparticle dispersions by the SAXSpace system. SAXS proved to be a well-suited method for determining the size distribution of a binary mixture of two dispersions with very similar particle size.