Nanoparticles entering water systems are an emerging concern as NPs are more frequently manufactured and used. The increasing using of ZnO nanoparticles in sunscreen or cosmetic makes their analysis extremely important due to raising concerns of the impact of nanoparticles to humankind and the environment, especially at the low concentrations at which they are expected to be found in natural waters.<br/> <br/>Single particle ICPMS is one of the few techniques available to detect and characterize nanoparticles at environmentally relevant concentrations. However, direct analysis of ZnO nanoparticles in seawater is still a challenge for the salt matrix may interfere the ionization efficiency of nanoparticles. Moreover, the dissolved Zn ions increases the background levels can overlaps with the signal from the nanoparticles which leading to an erroneous measurement of particle size.<br/> <br/>In this study, we develop a system for directly analyzing ZnO nanoparticles in seawater by sp-ICPMS coupled with electrodialyzer. The electrodialyzer with two cation exchange membrane were used to remove much of the dissolved zinc and sodium ions prior to SP-ICPMS, thereby reducing the particle size detection limits of the technique and providing some information on the nature of the inorganic particles in complex matrix. Critical parameters such as the flow rate of the sample solution and sweep solution, and the removal efficiency of the matrix were optimized. Spiked seawater samples were analyzed using electrodialyzer/SP-ICPMS to demonstrate the accurate size measurement of ZnO nanoparticles.

Detection and characterization of ZnO nanoparticles in seawater using SP-ICPMS coupled with electrodialyzer

256th National Meeting (2018)

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