Comparative characterization methods for metal oxide nanoparticles in aqueous suspensions

Abstract

Characterization of nanoscale materials is an essential component of research to inform product development as well as industrial and public health policies; however, few studies have investigated currently available competing and complimentary analytical techniques for characterization of nanoparticles in suspensions. The goal of this study was to compare multiple characterization methods and resulting data for aqueous nanoparticle suspensions used in semiconductor manufacturing. It was determined that the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS) provides the most reliable sizing and particle counting data, while other methods are offer less precision, accuracy, or are more resource-intensive. For determining concentration, standard methods like ICP-OES and ICP-MS are very effective. At present, there is no single tool that can provide comprehensive characterization data for aqueous nanoparticle suspensions, and therefore a combined approach is necessary. It was also found that information presented on Safety Data Sheets for nanomaterials may differ from that captured through analysis of the corresponding product, further highlighting the need for a comparison of characterization methods. Future studies aiming to characterize nanomaterials in the environmental or other aqueous matrices will be benefit from the development of combined techniques or novel characterization tools.