Total holographic characterization uses holographic video microscopy to measure the size, refractive index and three-dimensional position of individual colloidal particles moving freely through their fluid medium. The detailed information derived from these measurements have applications in product development, quality assurance and manufacturing process control in industries as diverse as consumer products, food, cosmetics, medical diagnostics, pharmaceutical manufacturing, petrochemicals, among others. Based on the Lorenz-Mie theory of light scattering, holographic characterization yields a particle’s size to within a nanometer and its refractive index to within a part per thousand. These data are available for each particle in the microscope’s field of view and for each snapshot in the holographic video stream. No other particle characterization technique provides such a wealth of information. The analysis is fast enough that population statistics on tens of thousands of particles can be amassed in minutes. Holographic characterization therefore yields insights into the composition of inhomogeneous and multicomponent colloidal dispersions that cannot be obtained in any other way. Holographic tracking data, obtained at the same time, yields insights into individual colloidal particles’ responses to external forces, their interactions with bounding surfaces and their interactions with each other. In combination with optical micromanipulation, these measurements provide an unprecedented view into the stability and dynamics of colloidal dispersions.

Total holographic characterization of colloidal suspensions

249th National Meeting (2015)

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