Colloidal Morphology Characterization
The morphology of the colloid will affect its surface properties, and different application fields have different requirements for the morphology of the colloid. For example, in catalytic applications, special attention is paid to edges, corners, stacking faults, high-index crystal planes, etc. in colloid structures; in biological applications, special attention is paid to hollow structures in colloids. Alfa Chemistry can use a variety of advanced equipment to characterize colloidal morphology to meet your needs to the greatest extent.
Our Colloidal Topography Characterization Platform
Our topography characterization platforms include but are not limited to:
- Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
Our transmission electron microscopes are commonly used to evaluate the ultrastructure of colloidal drug carrier systems, and can provide compositional information about the particle size, size distribution, shape, and internal structure of colloids.
Fig. 1 Examples for artifacts that may occur in cryo-TEM illustrated on dispersions of cubic phase nanoparticles and the colloidal fat emulsion Lipofundin® MCT 20%.[1]
- X-ray Diffraction (XRD)
X-ray Diffraction phase analysis is based on the diffraction effect of polycrystalline samples on X-rays, and is a method to analyze and determine the existence and morphology of each component in the sample. Therefore, it is mainly used for the crystallization of colloidal crystals, the structure of crystal phases and crystals, and so on.
- Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS)
Small-angle X-ray scattering is one of the most versatile tools for analyzing the structure and size of colloidal dispersions. The orientation of anisotropic nanoscale structures can be investigated by measuring two-dimensional SAXS spectra.
Fig. 2 Analysis of the 2D SAXS patterns of the colloidal dispersion of hematite spindles.[2]
- Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)
Scanning electron microscope can clearly show the morphological characteristics of inorganic colloids and some organic colloids, which can be used for the analysis of size, shape and structure.
Fig. 3 SEM images of Si colloidal crystals generated on a glass substrate.[3]
- Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)
A general term for a class of probe-based scanning imaging microscopes, including scanning tunneling microscopes and atomic force microscopes. This type of microscope is capable of measuring the atomic and electronic structure of the colloidal surface. Analyze local or even single-atom structural information in the nanometer scale.
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References
- JudithKuntsche, et al. Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) for studying the morphology of colloidal drug delivery systems. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2011, 417(1-2):120-137.
- Bender P, et al. Using the singular value decomposition to extract 2D correlation functions from scattering patterns. Acta Crystallographica Section A: Foundations and Advances. 2019, 75(5).
- Pingle H, et al. Colloidal crystal based plasma polymer patterning to control Pseudomonas aeruginosa attachment to surfaces. Biointerphases. 2015, 10(4):04A309.
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