An alternative way to analyze quasi-elastic light scattering data for broadly distributed samples

In Quasi-Elastic Light Scattering (QELS), an apparent average hydrodynamic radius can be calculated from the measuredz-average translational diffusion coefficient D _z by using the Stokes-Einstein equation: withk _B,T and being the Boltzmann constant, the absolute temperature and the solvent viscosity, respectively. It is known thatR _{h, app} is not the same as R _{h z} because , especially when a sample is broadly distributed. In order to obtain R _{h z} instead ofR _{h, app}, an alternative way to analyze QELS data is proposed: at first, we manipulate the measured correlation functionb ^1/2|g ⁽¹⁾(t)| into a new function ; and then, we can analyze this new function to obtain an apparent parameter D_app and an apparent distribution width . We have shown that no matter how broadly a sample is distributed, D_app can be easily reduced to R _{h z} , and is directly related to the distribution width. In this report, besides using a simulated time correlation function, we also used two measured correlation functions of a latex dispersion with a broad particle size distibution and a polystyrene standard with a broad molecular weight distribution to demonstrate this alternative way.