Sources of error in measuring diffusion coefficient through nanoparticle tracking analysis

When performing nanoparticle tracking analysis measurements, there can be many different sources of error. First, it is important to distinguish that there are two methods that can be used to calculate the diffusion coefficient:

• calculating diffusion coefficient from jump statistics
• Calculating diffusion coefficient from mean squared displacement data

The second is the one that yields the best results and is the one most widely employed.

When measuring the average diffusion coefficient, we first must consider sampling error when measuring the average diffusion coefficient which describe how accurate is the distribution of values we obtain from a given sample.

At a single particle level, it is important to note the effect of temperature on determination of error in diffusion measurements. However, this seems more like a systematic error than a statistical fluctuation at a single-particle level. The same applies to effect of vibration in diffusion coefficient determination.

• literature/202111291746 track length and quality of MSD fit
• literature/202111291731 mean squared displacement errors

It is important to consider that there may be an Optimal track length for MSD measurements as well as an optimal number of fitting points for MSD measurements, which are further discussed in [@ernst2013Measuring a diffusion coefficient by single-particle tracking: statistical analysis of experimental mean squared displacement curves].

Tags: #nta #nanoparticle-tracking-analysis #sources-of-error #uncertainty