Microscopy of nanoparticulate dispersions.

We present a critical review of the common methods for determining the dispersion state of nanoparticulate samples particularly in liquid media, including the determination of particle size and morphology; particle size distributions and polydispersity and equilibrium particle structure and chemistry. We highlight the potential contributions of both scanning probe and electron microscopies in this analysis which is of benefit in understanding nanoparticulate formulations and their behaviour applied across a very wide range of technologies and industry sectors.