NMR spectroscopy is widely used to determine the structure of molecules. Can NMR be used to determine the size of nano particles? Do its spectral lines vary with the size of a nano particle?
No way. You can determine molecular weights of compounds by comparing it with a known reference compound by diffusion NMR spectroscopy.
If you can determine the diffusion coefficient by diffusion NMR, then you can use the Stokes-Enstein equation to calculate the radius of a spherical particle if you know the temperature and the viscosity of the medium.
Thanks for all the contributors to the present question. My own idea is that we can use NMR for such a task, but, is it going to be as precise and easy as is the case in other common methods used for this purpose?
1H DOSY NMR is indeed a way to determine the hydrodynamic radius of your nanoparticules, however you have to be careful about the value calculated with Stokes-Einstein equation. As you compare different values, it gives stronger reliability to your results.
NMR spectroscopy can provide you mainly with information concerning the electronic, physicochemical and structural properties of materials. Other techniques like electron microscopy (Scanning or Transmission), dynamic light scattering, Small angle X-ray spectroscopy, XRD can be used to obtain information concerning the particle size of materials. Best regards
Thanks again for all the contributors to the present question. I hope future research will manifest the NMR importance in nano research.
I think that an important advantage of DOSY NMR as a tool for the determination of the size of NP of spherical shape is that you determine the nature of the capping ligands of the species you are looking at. Moreover you can make studies on the possible ligand exchange processes, etc. DLS is a technique very simple (from the practical point of view) that returns in a few minutes a preliminary answer, nevertheless it is not able to say which species is diffusing. In my opinion these are two techniques that compensate the lack one to each other.
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