New method of automated statistical analysis of polymer-stabilized metal nanoparticles in electron microscopy images
- PDF / 1,798,601 Bytes
- 7 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 65 Downloads / 193 Views
TALLOGRAPHIC SOFTWARE
New Method of Automated Statistical Analysis of Polymer-Stabilized Metal Nanoparticles in Electron Microscopy Images D. O. Shvedchenko* and E. I. Suvorova Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Federal Scientific Research Centre “Crystallography and Photonics,” Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119333 Russia *e-mail: [email protected] Received May 10, 2017
Abstract—The efficiency of the synthesis and application of metal/nonmetal particles several nanometers in size, prepared in solutions and stabilized with polymers, can be increased by applying a reliable statistical analysis and determining particle-size distributions for different systems. A new method for processing electron microscopy images of nanoparticles ≤10 nm in size and the program Analyzer of Nanoparticles designed for rapid recognition and measurements are presented. The program combines two approaches: threshold image processing for particle recognition and fitting the model of the particles with neighborhood background to the real experimental images. DOI: 10.1134/S1063774517050200
INTRODUCTION Composites based on polymers with dispersed metal (non-metal) nanoparticles have important cumulative properties, which are inherent in the nature of both inorganic components and polymers. Nanoparticles are characterized by the quantum-size effects, high specific surface area, high adsorption capacity, and biological activity [1–3]; whereas polymer matrices in a composite, providing solubility and resistance of nanoparticles to agglomeration and precipitation [4], exhibit also biological activity [5]. The main requirements for the production of nanoparticles and composites on their basis are their small sizes (less than 10 nm in diameter) and monodispersity. These two parameters provide a significant (positive or negative) and controlled effect, which is critically important in biological and medical applications, whereas polydisperse systems do not provide desired selectivity. Hence, correct diagnostics, clear size gradation, and knowledge and application of different methods for detecting and analyzing nanosystems are currently vital conditions. Data on sizes and distributions of nanoparticles necessary for the fundamental study of the mechanism of their formation in different systems, because they make it possible to reveal the conditions of their nucleation and formation and determine the influence of the medium and external factors. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has an undoubted advantage in visualizing nanoparticles and measuring their sizes in direct space. However, collection of reliable statistics of nanoparticle sizes is hindered by the necessity of processing a large number of
images and the low contrast of particles on substrate because of their small sizes and strong background of thesubstrate or polymer matrix. This study is dedicated to the development of a new approach to automated measurements of nanoparticle sizes in electron microscopy images in order to analyze particles several nanometers in diam
Data Loading...
