# US 2024/0201065 A1 · Nanoparticle size and elemental composition characterization > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2024/0201065 A1 - Document ID: US20240201065A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/541,426 - Filed: 2023-12-15 - Published: 2024-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-12-15 - Assignees: Texas Tech University System - Applicants: Texas Tech University System - Inventors: Gerardo Gamez - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20240201065A1 ## CPC - G01N 15/02: Investigating particle size or size distribution (by measuring osmotic pressure G01N7/10; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10) - G01N 15/1429: Signal processing - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to methods of identifying one or more characteristics of particles by (1) placing the particles on a surface; (2) exposing the particles to an ion to result in emissions from the particles; (3) measuring the emissions from the particles; (4) generating an emission profile from the measured emissions; and (5) correlating the generated emission profile to one or more characteristics of the particles ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of identifying one or more characteristics of particles, said method comprising: placing the particles on a surface; exposing the particles to an ion to result in emissions from the particles; measuring the emissions from the particles; generating an emission profile from the measured emissions; and correlating the generated emission profile to one or more characteristics of the particles. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the particles comprise nanoparticles. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the surface is a component of a chamber of a glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy elemental mapping (GDOES EM) device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure of the particles to the ion gradually ablates particle layers to result in emissions from different layers of the particles. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the exposure of the particles to the ion occurs in a chamber of a glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy elemental mapping (GDOES EM) device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the ion comprises argon ion. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the emissions from the particles are measured by glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the emissions from the particles are measured continuously as a function of time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the generated emission profile represents emissions from the particles as a function of time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the generated emission profile comprises an emission pattern as a function of time, emission changes as a function of time, optical emission changes as a function of time, emission intensities as a function of time, emission peak intensity as a function of time, a peak delay time, an emission profile peak intensity time, an average pixel intensity, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the particles is selected from the group consisting of particle mass, particle elemental composition, particle size, particle shape, particle spatial distribution, or combinations thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the particles comprise particle size. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics of the particles comprise particle elemental composition. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation of the generated emission profile to the one or more characteristics of the particles comprises comparing the generated emission profile from the particles to emission profiles of particles that have been correlated to the one or more characteristics of the particles. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation of the generated emission profile to the one or more characteristics of the particles comprises comparing the generated emission profile from the particles to a calibration curve that represents the one or more of the characteristics. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation of the generated emission profile to the one or more characteristics of the particles comprises feeding the generated emission profile from the particles into an algorithm that implements the correlation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation of the generated emission profile to the one or more characteristics of the particles comprises at least one of correlating a peak delay time of the generated emission profile to particle size, correlating a peak delay time of the generated emission profile to particle size distribution, correlating a peak intensity of the generated emission profile to particle mass, correlating optical emission changes of the generated emission profile as a function of time to particle elemental composition, correlating optical emission changes of the generated emission profile as a function of time to particle size, correlating optical emission changes of the generated emission profile as a function of time to internal dimensions, or combinations thereof.