Optimizing the synthesis of monodisperse colloidal spheres using holographic particle characterization.

Holographic particle characterization measures the sizes and compositions of individual colloidal particles dispersed in fluid media and rapidly amasses statistics on the distributions of these properties, even for complex heterogeneous dispersions. This information is useful for analyzing and optimizing protocols for synthesizing colloidal particles. We illustrate how holographic characterization can guide process design through a case study on a particularly versatile model system composed of an aqueous dispersion of micrometer-scale spheres synthesized from the organosilane monomer 3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyl methacrylate.