Nanoparticle tracking analysis

Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) is a technique developed by Nanosight which allows nano-particles (smaller than the wavelength of light) to be seen via a microscope.

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The particles can then be sized and analysed in real-time by individually tracking their Brownian motion for a much lower cost than using electron microscopes or other techniques.

Also, as the samples require minimal preparation the time required to process one sample is much reduced. Speculators suggest that eventually the analysis may be done in real-time with no preparation e.g. when detecting the presence of viruses or biological weapons in air.