Analysis or Characterization of Nanomaterials

Once a nanomaterial has been synthesised, it needs to be analysed and characterised using appropriate analytical tools or techniques, since its useful nanoscale properties (Section 16.6) cannot simply be assumed -- they need to be measured and confirmed. Table 16.1 in the source lists five such techniques together with the instrument each uses and the specific information it provides: UV-visible spectroscopy (using a UV-visible spectrophotometer) gives a preliminary confirmation that nanoparticles have actually formed; X-ray diffraction, XRD (using an X-ray diffractometer) gives particle size, crystal structure and geometry; scanning electron microscopy, SEM (using a scanning electron microscope) reveals the structure of the material's surface, that is, its morphology; transmission electron microscopy, TEM (using a transmission electron microscope) gives particle size; and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FTIR (using an FTIR spectrophotometer) gives information about absorption by functional groups and about the material's binding nature. Together, these five techniques cover the main questions a researcher needs answered about …