UV-Visible Spectroscopy

UV-Visible spectroscopy is a technique used to quantify the light that is absorbed and scattered by a sample (a quantity known as the extinction, which is defined as the sum of absorbed and scattered light).

Gold and silver plasmonic nanoparticles have optical properties that are sensitive to size, shape, concentration, agglomeration state, and refractive index near the nanoparticle surface, which makes UV-Vis spectroscopy a valuable tool for identifying, characterizing, and studying nanomaterials.  Non-plasmonic nanomaterials also have optical properties that depend upon size, concentration, and agglomeration state, however their optical spectra do not exhibit the dramatic changes of plasmonic materials.

At nanoComposix, spectral analysis is performed with an Agilent 8453 single beam diode array spectrometer which collects spectra from 200-1100 nm using a slit width of 1 nm. Deuterium and tungsten lamps are used to provide illumination across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared electromagnetic spectrum.  Spectra can be collected from samples as small as 60-100 µL using a microcell with a path length of 1 cm.

To learn more about spectroscopy, please see our General Knowledge Base.

To take advantage of our Spectroscopy Service please contact us at service@nanocomposix.com.  A nanoComposix representative will contact you within 1 business day to discuss your needs, provide suggestions, and answer your questions.