Principles and application of laser light scattering (LLS) in characterization of the spatial configuration of microbial products in aqueous solution

Microbial products are high-molecular weight compounds excreted by microorganisms, and they play some important roles for microbial aggregates in natural environment and engineered systems. Static light scanning (SLS) and dynamic light scanning (DLS) are powerful tools for exploring the spatial configuration of microbial products in aqueous solution, which cannot be obtained by other analytical techniques, and thus allow better understanding on their physicochemical properties. Details on the principles and SLS and DLS, and parameters that can be obtained from these analyses, as well as their application in characterizing the structural evolution and the interactions of microbial products with other substances are discussed, and the major areas needing further research are also identified. Combined with the chemical compositions obtained by other techniques, the structural characteristics revealed by laser light scattering (LLS) can help better understand the relationship between the microscopic structure of microbial products and their macroscopic properties (e.g., adsorption, flocculation, and adhesion).