Abstract

Improved characterization of particle size distributions (PSDs) of mostly-submicron suspensions is critical for optimizing production process parameters and determining overall quality for a wide variety of emulsions and suspensions. This paper describes a novel approach for PSD determination, offering significant improvements in resolution and accuracy over existing techniques, based on a combination of two proven techniques: dynamic light scattering (DLS) and single-particle optical sensing (SPOS). The DLS technique is effective when the majority of particles is smaller than 0.5-1 micron (urn), while the SPOS technique responds optimally to particles larger than this size. These two techniques, while radically different in principle and type of output, naturally complement each other.

© 1996 Optical Society of America