Novel techniques for detection and characterization of nanomaterials based on aerosol science supporting environmental applications

Múgica, I.; Fito, Carlos; Domat, Maidá; Dohányosová, Pavla; Gutierrez-Cañas, C.; López-Vidal, Silvia

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.184

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…The finest fraction that is commonly measured, studied and regulated is PM 2.5 . Ultrafine particles, PM 1 and even PM 0.1 increasingly feature in studies; but the difficulty of measuring at that scale continues to limit research and regulation [6][7][8][9].…”

Section: The Health Hazardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traffic exhaust to wildfires: PM2.5 measurements with fixed and portable, low-cost LoRaWAN-connected sensors

et al. 2020

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Air pollution with PM 2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micro-metres in diameter) is a major health hazard in many cities worldwide, but since measuring instruments have traditionally been expensive, monitoring sites are rare and generally show only background concentrations. With the advent of low-cost, wirelessly connected sensors, air quality measurements are increasingly being made in places where many people spend time and pollution is much worse: on streets near traffic. In the interests of enabling members of the public to measure the air that they breathe, we took an open-source approach to designing a device for measuring PM 2.5. Parts are relatively cheap, but of good quality and can be easily found in electronics or hardware stores, or on-line. Software is open source and the free LoRaWAN-based "The Things Network" the platform. A number of low-cost sensors we tested had problems, but those selected performed well when co-located with referencequality instruments. A network of the devices was deployed in an urban centre, yielding valuable data for an extended time. Concentrations of PM 2.5 at street level were often ten times worse than at air quality stations. The devices and network offer the opportunity for measurements in locations that concern the public.

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Section: The Health Hazardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traffic exhaust to wildfires: PM2.5 measurements with fixed and portable, low-cost LoRaWAN-connected sensors

et al. 2020

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“…To overcome these obstacles, researchers have prepared samples using aerosol techniques to suppress the agglom eration of NPs [11][12][13]. The use of an electrohydrodynamic aerosolization system made it possible to assess the NC of a trimodal polystyrene suspension [11].…”

Section: Measurement Of the Number Concentration Of Gold Nanoparticle...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of the number concentration of gold nanoparticle suspension by scanning electron microscopy

Kumagai

Kurokawa

2019

Metrologia

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Measuring the number concentration (NC) of nanoparticles (NPs) in suspension has become important because of its use as an index of the quality and efficacy of medical and industrial products. Although scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can reveal individual particles, it is not commonly used for measurement owing to difficulties in sample preparation. We used a microliquid dispenser to prepare a specimen of a gold NP suspension, and by combining SEM and gravimetry we measured the NC. The dispenser places a small droplet of suspension onto a Si substrate without splashing, confining the particles in a small area. This method enabled us to observe and count all particles in the area by SEM without loss. The average weight of droplets was determined from weight increments of multiple ejections from the dispenser into a reservoir on an analytical balance. Dividing the NP number by single droplet weight gives NC in g −1 . Our simple method gave a precise measurement of the NC of Au NPs with a relative expanded uncertainty of <6% (k = 2) by identifying all particles in a droplet.

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“…An alternative to this microprinting approach was demonstrated to be electrospray deposition which relies on the strong electrostatic repulsion forces induced by a corresponding electrical field of several kV in which a liquid suspension droplet of nanoparticles is injected [18,19]. Another promising method of nanoparticle sample preparation with high representativity for imaging techniques is the cross-sectional sample preparation method.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automation and Standardization—A Coupled Approach towards Reproducible Sample Preparation Protocols for Nanomaterial Analysis

et al. 2022

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Whereas the characterization of nanomaterials using different analytical techniques is often highly automated and standardized, the sample preparation that precedes it causes a bottleneck in nanomaterial analysis as it is performed manually. Usually, this pretreatment depends on the skills and experience of the analysts. Furthermore, adequate reporting of the sample preparation is often missing. In this overview, some solutions for techniques widely used in nano-analytics to overcome this problem are discussed. Two examples of sample preparation optimization by automation are presented, which demonstrate that this approach is leading to increased analytical confidence. Our first example is motivated by the need to exclude human bias and focuses on the development of automation in sample introduction. To this end, a robotic system has been developed, which can prepare stable and homogeneous nanomaterial suspensions amenable to a variety of well-established analytical methods, such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), field-flow fractionation (FFF) or single-particle inductively coupled mass spectrometry (sp-ICP-MS). Our second example addresses biological samples, such as cells exposed to nanomaterials, which are still challenging for reliable analysis. An air–liquid interface has been developed for the exposure of biological samples to nanomaterial-containing aerosols. The system exposes transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids under reproducible conditions, whilst also allowing characterization of aerosol composition with mass spectrometry. Such an approach enables correlative measurements combining biological with physicochemical analysis. These case studies demonstrate that standardization and automation of sample preparation setups, combined with appropriate measurement processes and data reduction are crucial steps towards more reliable and reproducible data.

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Novel techniques for detection and characterization of nanomaterials based on aerosol science supporting environmental applications

Cited by 6 publications

References 69 publications

Traffic exhaust to wildfires: PM2.5 measurements with fixed and portable, low-cost LoRaWAN-connected sensors

Traffic exhaust to wildfires: PM2.5 measurements with fixed and portable, low-cost LoRaWAN-connected sensors

Measurement of the number concentration of gold nanoparticle suspension by scanning electron microscopy

Automation and Standardization—A Coupled Approach towards Reproducible Sample Preparation Protocols for Nanomaterial Analysis

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