Detail:
Abstract: Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC)is a powerful technique for polymer and colloid analytics invented about 100 years ago by The Svedberg at the university of Uppsala, Sweden. AUC has experimentally supported important scientific breakthroughs like the proof that polymers are macromolecules or the experimental proof of the DNA double helix. The power of AUC lies in its fractionation of the sample and detection of the individual components over the entire colloidal range. In addition, 4 different basic experiments are possible with AUC, which can yield complementary physicochemical information. Even 100 years after its invention, still new AUC methods can be established. In this presentation, the principle of AUC will be described. Various examples for the breath of information available with this technique will be given for polymeric and particle samples. In addition, the recent development of a multiwavelength UV-Vis detector will be presented. This detector allows for the characterization of UV-Vis spectra for the different components in a mixture and therefore yields information, which could not be obtained before. This proved especially useful for the analysis of nanoparticles with size dependent optical properties like quantum dots or metal nanoparticles. In addition, new insight can be gained into nanoparticle nucleation processes.
