Characterization of nanostructured systems is an important aspect to support
the choice of the better formulation composition and the best production conditions
throughout a development process. Several methods can be used alone or combined for
the determination of physical (e.g., mechanical, electrical, electronic, magnetic, thermal
and optical), chemical or biological properties of a nanomaterial. This chapter is an
overview of the most employed techniques, including dynamic light scattering and
laser diffraction for the determination of size distribution; zeta potential and its
relationship with stability and the surface charge of the particles; microscopies (optical
microscopy, SEM, TEM, AFM) utilized in morphological analyses; spectroscopies in
the infrared or ultraviolet-visible regions, and X-rays diffraction, which help to
elucidate the crystalline state, polymorphism and drug-nanosystem interaction; and
thermal analyses, which can provide information about the physical state, crystallinity,
and stability. Further complementary information can be obtained from many other
methods, such as nuclear magnetic resonance or Raman spectroscopy, but they are
beyond the scope of this chapter. The careful choice of the characterization techniques
to be used is certainly a decisive step in the successful and rational development of a
nanocarrier formulation.
Keywords: AFM, Confocal microscopy, Dynamic Light scattering, Fluorescence
microscopy, Nanoparticles, SEM, TEM, XRD.
