ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a broad survey of some of the common techniques used for characterization of the bulk properties of materials, including nanomaterials. These techniques can provide insight on properties such as the concentration or composition of molecules or nanoparticles, the thickness of nanofilms, or the arrangement of atoms in ordered structures such as crystals. Spectroscopy is the study of the ways in which electromagnetic radiation interacts with matter. Spectroscopy is an invaluable field of chemical analysis, and different spectroscopic methods are able to determine identity, concentration, and structural information of chemical compounds, among other useful information. UV–vis spectroscopy uses the transmission of visible and/or ultraviolet light through a sample to determine the presence and/or the amount of material that absorbs light within the sample. At a basic level, a UV–vis spectrophotometer consists of a light source, a dispersive device for selecting wavelengths of light, a sample holder, and a detector, along with several optical components.
