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Particle Size Distribution of Bimodal Silica Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Different Measurement Techniques.

ABSTRACT: Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) belong to the most widely produced nanomaterials nowadays. Particle size distribution (PSD) is a key property of SNPs that needs to be accurately determined for a successful application. Many single particle and ensemble characterization methods are available for the determination of the PSD of SNPs, each having different advantages and limitations. Since most preparation protocols for SNPs can yield bimodal or heterogeneous PSDs, the capability of a given method to resolve bimodal PSD is of great importance. In this work, four different methods, namely transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), microfluidic resistive pulse sensing (MRPS) and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) were used to characterize three different, inherently bimodal SNP samples. We found that DLS is unsuitable to resolve bimodal PSDs, while MRPS has proven to be an accurate single-particle size and concentration characterization method, although it is limited to sizes above 50 nm. SAXS was found to be the only method which provided statistically significant description of the bimodal PSDs. However, the analysis of SAXS curves becomes an ill-posed inverse mathematical problem for broad size distributions, therefore the use of orthogonal techniques is required for the reliable description of the PSD of SNPs.

SUBMITTER: Al-Khafaji MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7412153 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Particle Size Distribution of Bimodal Silica Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Different Measurement Techniques.

Al-Khafaji Mohammed A MA Gaál Anikó A Wacha András A Bóta Attila A Varga Zoltán Z

Materials (Basel, Switzerland) 20200711 14

Silica nanoparticles (SNPs) belong to the most widely produced nanomaterials nowadays. Particle size distribution (PSD) is a key property of SNPs that needs to be accurately determined for a successful application. Many single particle and ensemble characterization methods are available for the determination of the PSD of SNPs, each having different advantages and limitations. Since most preparation protocols for SNPs can yield bimodal or heterogeneous PSDs, the capability of a given method to r ...[more]

PMID: 32664525

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Project description:Natural pigment-based photosensitizers are an attractive pathway for realizing low cost and environmentally friendly solar cells. Here, broadband light-harvesting is achieved using two natural pigments, betanin and lawsone, absorbing in the green and blue region of the solar spectrum respectively. The use of bimodal size distribution of AgNPs tailored for each of the pigments to further increase their efficiency is the key feature of this work. This study demonstrates a significant enhancement in current-density, voltage, and efficiency by 20.1%, 5.5%, and 28.6% respectively, in a betanin-lawsone co-sensitized solar cell, via plasmonic enhancement using silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The optimum sizes of the nanoparticles have been calculated by studying their optical response and electric field profiles using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations, aimed at matching their resonant wavelengths with the absorption bands of the dyes. Simulations show that AgNPs of diameters 20?nm and 60?nm are optimum for enhanced absorption by lawsone and betanin respectively. The FDTD simulations of the plasmonic photoelectrodes demonstrated 30% and 15% enhancement in the power absorption by betanin and lawsone at the LSPR peaks of the 60?nm and 20?nm AgNPs respectively. An optimum overall concentration of 2% (v/v) and a ratio of 4:1 (20?nm:60?nm) of the bimodal distribution of the AgNPs, was determined for incorporation in the photoanodes. An average efficiency of 1.02?±?0.006% was achieved by the betanin-lawsone co-sensitized solar cell with the bimodal distribution of AgNPs, compared to 0.793?±?0.006% achieved by the non-plasmonic solar cell of otherwise identical configuration. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed that the incorporation of the bimodal distribution of AgNPs in the solar cells also enabled enhanced electron lifetime and reduced recombination compared to the non-plasmonic counterpart, thereby improving the charge transfer. The plasmonic enhancement methodology presented here can be applied to further improve the efficiency of other natural dye-sensitized solar cells.

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Particle Size Distribution of Bimodal Silica Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Different Measurement Techniques.

Publications

Particle Size Distribution of Bimodal Silica Nanoparticles: A Comparison of Different Measurement Techniques.

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