Determination of nanoparticles concentration in solution based on Pickering emulsion destabilization analyses

Abstract

The dynamic development of nanotechnology research has contributed to the fact that various types of nanoparticles are increasingly used on a large scale both for medical and biological purposes, but above all in many industrial fields. Such a wide application of nanoparticles is often connected with the need to estimate their characteristic parameters, such as size, size distribution or concentration. Existing instruments are usually quite expensive and not always available. Therefore, other cheaper and simpler methods based on analytical techniques are sought. In this paper, we have proposed a method to estimate the concentration of nanoparticles in solutions based on destabilization analyses of Pickering emulsions produced with their use. The fact of mutual relationship between emulsion concentration, nanoparticle concentration and emulsion stability was used here. The study was carried out using silica nanoparticles. It was presented how to apply the method and what are its limitations. Moreover, an example of its application for the determination of nanoparticle concentration in an unknown sample, obtained after analysis of the permeability of membranes in diffusion chambers, has been presented. The method can become a useful alternative for the determination of nanoparticle concentration in solution in places where no specialized equipment is available.