Issue 7, 2012

Overcoming challenges in analysis of polydisperse metal-containing nanoparticles by single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

Detection and sizing of metal-containing engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) was achieved at concentrations predicted for environmental samples (part-per trillion levels) using single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS). Silver nanowires, titanium dioxide and cerium oxide nanoparticles were found to be detectable by this technique, while zinc oxide dissolved too quickly for analysis at these concentrations. In addition to the potential dissolution of particles, other considerations affecting ENP analysis include: instrumental background, mass interferences, percent metal in a nanoparticle, and isotopic abundance of the analyte element. Sizing of these metal-containing nanoparticles was done by correlating ICP-MS response (pulses) from ENPs entering the plasma to mass of metal in dissolved standards. The resulting particle size distributions compared well with results from sedimentation field-flow fractionation. Coincidence in ENP pulses may be difficult to detect in the broad size distributions that arise from polydisperse samples. Comparison of data obtained by combination of multiple analyses of dilute solutions to single analyses of higher concentration allowed discrimination between coincidence and polydispersity. The ratio of ENP pulse detections to the total number of readings during analysis was optimized at 2.5% or less to minimize coincident pulses while still allowing definition of a size distribution.

Graphical abstract: Overcoming challenges in analysis of polydisperse metal-containing nanoparticles by single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
20 二月 2012
Accepted
13 四月 2012
First published
16 四月 2012

J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012,27, 1093-1100

Overcoming challenges in analysis of polydisperse metal-containing nanoparticles by single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

R. B. Reed, C. P. Higgins, P. Westerhoff, S. Tadjiki and J. F. Ranville, J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2012, 27, 1093 DOI: 10.1039/C2JA30061C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements