The development of nanoparticle-based applications relies increasingly on our ability to characterize nanoparticles at the single-particle level and in their native liquid environment. In quantum dot applications, for example, a detailed understanding of how spectral properties are related to differences in size, shape, composition and electrical charge is crucial to optimize the fabrication process of quantum dots and ultimately their photonic or biomedical applications. Since deposition on a substrate may disturb the spectroscopic response it is preferred that measurements occur in the liquid phase. Sufficiently fast imaging is needed for measurements of the electrical charge and particle size. In the present work, we focus on measuring the electrophoretic mobility and size of individual nanoparticles in their native liquid environment through sensitive imaging at frame rates up to 10 kHz in the presence of an electric field. The particles of interest are fluorescently labelled polystyrene particles in the range of 40 nm to 100 nm. The imaging method is based on scanning a focused laser beam (532 nm) across a 10 µm x 10 µm field using acousto-optic deflectors and by detecting the emitted fluorescent light with a single-photon counter. The particle size is determined from Brownian motion analysis. The electrophoretic mobility and the electroosmotic mobility related to the zeta-potential of the microchannel walls are determined through analysis of the response at different frequencies of the applied electric field and at different positions in the microfluidic channel.
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