ac5b01052_si_001.pdf (875.26 kB)
Determination of Size- and Number-Based Concentration of Silica Nanoparticles in a Complex Biological Matrix by Online Techniques
journal contribution
posted on 2015-06-02, 00:00 authored by Dorota Bartczak, Phil Vincent, Heidi Goenaga-InfanteWe propose for the first time methodology
for the determination
of a number-based concentration of silica (SiO2) nanoparticles
(NP) in biological serum using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA)
as the online detector for asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation
(AF4). The degree of selectivity offered by AF4 was found necessary
to determine reliably number-based concentration of the measured NP
in the complex matrix with a relative measurement error of 5.1% (as
relative standard deviation, n = 3) and without chemical
sample pretreatment. The simultaneous online coupling to other size
and concentration detectors, such as multiangle light scattering (MALS)
and ICPMS, for the measurement of the same NP suspension, was used
to confirm the particle size determined with NTA and the equivalent
particle number determined by AF4/NTA, respectively. The size- and
number-based concentration data obtained by independent techniques
were in a good agreement. The developed methodology can easily be
extended to other types of particles or particle suspensions and other
complex matrices provided that the particle size is above the limit
of detection for NTA.