Ultraviolet extinction of metal oxide nanoparticles imaged at the single nanoaggregate level

Metal oxide nanoparticles play a pivotal role across many fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology, yet their detection remains challenging, requiring expensive SEM or TEM microscopies. Moreover, metal oxide nanoparticles generally form complex nanoaggregates of different sizes and morphologies, requiring experiments to be performed at the level of a single nanoaggregate to yield meaningful information.

In our recent article published in Particle & Particle Systems Characterization, we detail a novel application of ultraviolet (UV) microscopy for detecting metal oxide nanoparticles with high sensitivity and versatility. By leveraging the strong absorption of metal oxides in the UV spectral range, we demonstrate robust detection capabilities, validated through correlative electron microscopy and numerical simulations. Our results provide critical information characterizing the material and morphology parameters determining the UV response of metal oxide nanoaggregates

This work offers significant advancements for nanoparticle analysis, with potential applications spanning across material science, biotechnology, and environmental monitoring.