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Single Particle ICPMS for Characterizing Metal-based Nanoparticles and Monitoring Transformation Processes in Surface Water
Citation:
HEITHMAR, E. M. Single Particle ICPMS for Characterizing Metal-based Nanoparticles and Monitoring Transformation Processes in Surface Water. Presented at Symposium on Environmental Characterization of Engineered Nanoparticles at SETAC, Goteborg, SWEDEN, May 31 - June 04, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
Poster Presentation
Description:
Engineered metal-based nanomaterials will likely be used in increasing quantities in consumer and industrial products. These may be introduced into surface waters by a variety of paths depending on usage. Other naturally occurring and anthropogenic particles containing these metals exist with similar size distributions. Therefore, it is important to measure the present baseline concentration, size distribution, and metal content of nanoparticles in various surface waters. Monitoring trends in these metrics over time can then be used to assess the potential exposure of ecosystems to engineered metalbased nanomaterials. These measurements have been made with hyphenated instrumental techniques such as flow-field flow fractionation coupled with ICPMS, or metal concentrations of operationally defined size fractions have been estimated by filtration and ultrafiltration followed by elemental determination. ICPMS in the single particle (SP) mode measures the intensity and frequency of signal pulses resulting from ion plumes of a metal from individual nanoparticles in the ICP. SP-ICPMS can provide the number density of particles, as well as the mass of the measured metal in the particles. SPICPMS of several metal-based nanoparticles is presented. The theory of the measurement is described, and the effect of experimental factors on sensitivity, accuracy, and precision is discussed. Application of SP-ICPMS for monitoring processes such as dissolution and aggregation of nanoparticles is presented.