A Depolarized Dynamic Light Scattering Method to Calculate Translational and Rotational Diffusion Coefficients of Nanorods

A new analysis of depolarized dynamic light scattering data is presented, which allows the unambiguous determination of rotational and translational diffusions coefficients of nanorods in suspension. By visualizing data scaling, purely translational diffusive motions can be isolated from vertically polarized scattering, allowing the unique determination of rotational diffusion from the depolarized scattering. The method is applied to nanorods with four different aspect ratios, and compared with theoretical predictions. Diffusion coefficients obtained show good agreement with calculations based on the direct measurements of rod length and diameter. Where the theories are shown to be valid, the method allows the measurement of statistically meaningful particle sizes and aspect ratios