science

NanoSight

NanoSight is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NanoSight rather than just read about it. In short: NanoSight Ltd is a company that designs and manufactures instruments for the scientific analysis of nanoparticles that are between approximately ten nanometers (nm) and one micron (μm) in diameter. The company was founded in 2003 by Bob Carr and John Knowles to further develop a technique Bob Carr had invented to visualize nanoparticles suspended in liquid.

Key takeaways

NanoSight belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect NanoSight to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of NanoSight from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NanoSight Ltd is a company that designs and manufactures instruments for the scientific analysis of nanoparticles that are between approximately ten nanometers (nm) and one micron (μm) in diameter. The company was founded in 2003 by Bob Carr and John Knowles to further develop a technique Bob Carr had invented to visualize nanoparticles suspended in liquid. The company has since developed the technique of Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA), and they produce a series of instruments to count, size and visualize nanoparticles in liquid suspension using this patented technology. NanoSight has 25 employees in the UK and has received several awards and recognitions. More than 450 instruments had been sold as of 2012. The technology has been cited in over 1300 scientific publications, presentations and reports. NanoSight was acquired by Malvern Instruments on 30 September 2013.

Product overview NanoSight develops and produces instruments that visualize, characterize and measure small particles in suspension. Detected particles may be as small as 10 nm in diameter, depending on composition. NanoSight instruments can analyze particle size, concentration, aggregation, and zeta potential. An optional fluorescence mode, employing an optical filter, allows speciation of fluorescently labeled particles. Each instrument comprises a scientific camera, a microscope, and a sample viewing unit (LM12 or LM14). The viewing unit uses a laser diode to illuminate particles in liquid suspension that are held within or advanced through a flow chamber within the unit. The instrument is used in conjunction with a computer control unit that runs a custom-designed Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) software package. NTA analyzes videos captured using the instrument, giving a particle size distribution and particle count based upon tracking of each particle's Brownian motion. Tracking is carried out for all particles in the laser scattering volume to produce a particle size distribution using the Stokes-Einstein equation, relating the Brownian motion of a particle to a sphere-equivalent hydrodynamic radius.

Instruments Several instruments are currently available. General specifications:

Nanoparticle analysis range: typically 10–1000 nm, dependent on particle material Particle type: any Solvent: any non-corrosive solvent and water. A range of solvent-resistant seals are available. Power requirement (own adapter supplied): 110–220 V Laser output: Various. 40 mW at 640 nm (Class 1 Laser Product) for basic LM10 and LM20 models. Other lasers are available. Viewing chamber volume requirements: 0.3 ml (most models) or 0.1 ml (NS500, although larger volumes must be loaded into the fluidics system if sample is not directly injected)

LM10

NanoSight's LM10 instrument is based upon a conventional optical microscope fitted with a scientific camera (CCD, EMCCD or sCMOS) and either the LM12 or LM14 viewing unit. Using a laser light source with a wavelength of 405 nm (blue), 532 nm (green), or 638 nm (red), the particles in the sample are illuminated and the scattered light is captured by the camera and displayed on the connected personal computer running Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) software. Using NTA, the particles are automatically tracked and sized. Results are displayed as a frequency size distribution graph and are exported in various, user-selected formats including spreadsheets and video files. Additionally, information-rich videos clips may be captured and archived for future reference and alternative analyses. The LM10 is proven with most nanoparticle classes down to 10 nm (dependent upon particle density) dispersed in a wide range of solvents.

LM10-HS

The LM10-HS instrument is similar to the standard LM10 unit but has a higher sensitivity sCMOS camera (EMCCD in earlier models). This allows smaller, lower refractive index particles to be analyzed. The LM10-HS is more commonly used for sizing biological samples including viruses and vaccines.

LM20

NanoSight's LM20 is, in essence, a 'boxed-up' LM10, designed and created for greater ease of use. Using the same standard LM12 viewing unit as the LM10, this instrument provides identical results to those obtained in analyses run on an LM10 system. Typically, the LM20 is used in more industrial applications, such as analyzing particles used in paints, pigments, cosmetics, and foodstuffs. The LM20 is ideal for users unfamiliar with using a microscope.

NS500 The NS500 incorporates multiple automated features, including computer-controlled peristaltic pumps and stage positioning, for reproducibility and ease of use. Through the interface of the NTA Software Suite, the fluidics system may be used to inject samples into a small viewing chamber, dilute samples to a specified degree, flush the system between samples, or clean and dry the viewing chamber. In contrast with earlier models, the NS500 does not require manual cleaning of the viewing chamber between each sample, thus increasing throughput. Optical stage positions may be set for optical and fluorescent readings, improving reproducibility. Sample temperature control is also programmable. The NS500 can be used for both static as flow measurement using the additional syringe pump. A sample changer can provide enhanced throughput for static measurements, and using scripts high-throughput measurements under flow are available as well.

NS200 Like the LM20, but with a high-sensitivity camera like that of the NS500, the NS200 has a housing and is ideal for use in industrial settings, such as manufacture of inks, paints, pigments, petrochemicals, and vaccines. Its configuration is designed for study of small or otherwise weakly scattering nanoparticles, such as viruses, phage, liposomes and other drug delivery nanoparticles, and protein aggregates. It can be used in a non-laboratory environment by individuals unfamiliar with microscopes.

Applications NanoSight instruments are used for a variety of applications, including:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NanoSight

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NanoSight claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NanoSight before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NanoSight ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NanoSight

In research: NanoSight appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses NanoSight in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: NanoSight is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Companies based in Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, Microscopy organizations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for NanoSight outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study NanoSight in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what NanoSight means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain NanoSight out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NanoSight in simple terms?

Why does NanoSight matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NanoSight?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NanoSight.