Nanomaterials have are commonly used in an array of applications from use in medical diagnosis and therapy to a variety consumer goods including sunscreen and cosmetics.  Due to excellent biocompatibility, large surface to volume ratio and semiconducting properties, nanoparticles are versatile and their semiconducting properties make them useful in solar cells and related energy devices.  Quantum dots are semiconducting nanocrystals commonly utilized in solar cells but contain cadmium, lead, and other toxic chemicals that could be harmful if released into the environment.  To protect and stabilize nanoparticles monolayer coatings are necessary to minimize the release of cadmium and lead.  As usage of nanomaterials becomes more widespread, their release into the environment is inevitable.To measure and monitor nanoparticle behavior, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) serve as a useful model to demonstrate stability and allow for a better understanding the behavior and environmental fate of potentially more toxic nanoparticles such as quantum dots.  Measurement techniques to measure and monitor nanoparticle monolayer stability are essential for understanding nanoparticle stability and behavior and aid in the development of more stable nanoparticles.  Laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) is useful for analysis of AuNPs and can be optimized to become a more effective analytical tool.Nanoparticle functionality and utility decreases as the nanoparticle breaks down and monolayer ligands detach from the metal core.  Although AuNPs are stable at low temperatures over long periods of time, the stability of gold nanoparticles in cell lysate depreciates rapidly at room temperature.  LDI-MS and HPLC-MS techniques were utilized to quantify the monolayer coverage of various sized AuNPs as well as enumerate the rate of monolayer decomposition in biological systems.

Synthesis and mass spectrometric analysis of gold nanoparticles

246th National Meeting (2013)

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