Nanoparticle Analysis in Biomaterials Using Laser Ablation−Single Particle−Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

• Published in: Analytical chemistry (Washington) Vol. 91; no. 9; pp. 6200 - 6205
• Main Authors: Metarapi, Dino, Šala, Martin, Vogel-Mikuš, Katarina, Šelih, Vid S, van Elteren, Johannes T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States American Chemical Society 07.05.2019
• Subjects: Algorithms; Analytical chemistry; biocompatible materials; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Chemistry; Data processing; Dwell time; Fluence; Gelatin; Gold; Helianthus annuus; Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; Laser ablation; Laser beams; Lasers; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; nanogold; Nanoparticles; Plasma; Scientific imaging; Spectroscopy; Sunflowers
• ISSN: 0003-2700; 1520-6882; 1520-6882
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b00853

In the past decade, the development of single particle–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP-ICPMS) has revolutionized the field of nanometallomics. Besides differentiation between dissolved and particulate metal signals, SP-ICPMS can quantify the nanoparticle (NP) number concentration and size. Because SP-ICPMS is limited to characterization of NPs in solution, we show how solid sampling by laser ablation (LA) adds spatial-resolution characteristics for localized NP analysis in biomaterials. Using custom-made gelatin standards doped with dissolved gold and commercial or synthesized gold nanoparticles, LA-SP-ICPMS conditions such as laser fluence, beam size, and dwell time were optimized for NP analysis to minimize NP degradation, peak overlap, and interferences from dissolved gold. A data-processing algorithm to retrieve the NP number concentration and size was developed for this purpose. As a proof-of-concept, a sunflower-root-sample cross-section, originating from a sunflower plant exposed to gold NPs, was successfully imaged using the optimized LA-SP-ICPMS conditions for localized NP characterization.