Estimation of particle size distribution using photon autocorrelation function from dynamic light scattering considering unknown baseline.

Conventional methods for estimating particle size distribution (PSD) based on the computed field autocorrelation function (ACF) of dynamic light scattering data are prone to baseline error and random measurement errors. To reduce the effects of the errors efficiently and automatically, we propose a penalized nonlinear nonnegative least squares (NNLS) method based on the measured photon ACF that simultaneously determines the PSD and the unknown baseline. In simulations and experiments, the proposed method was able to estimate the PSD more accurately than the existing NNLS method using the computed field ACF.