title: Characterization of nanomaterials for toxicological studies.
abstract: The scientific community, regulatory agencies, environmentalists, and most industry representatives all agree that more effort is required to ensure the responsible and safe development of new nanotechnologies. Characterizing nanomaterials is a key aspect in this effort. There is no universally agreed upon minimum set of characteristics although certain common properties are included in most recommendations. Therefore, characterization becomes more like a puzzle put together with various measurements rather than a single straightforward analytical measurement. In this chapter, we emphasize and illustrate the important elements of nanoparticle characterization with a systematic approach to physicochemical characterization. We start with an overview describing the properties that are most significant to toxicological testing along with suggested methods for characterizing an as-received nanomaterial and then specifically address the measurement of size, surface properties, and imaging.
authors.affiliation: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. kpowers@per.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Kevin W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Carpinone
authors.forename: Kerry N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Siebein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008853:Microscopy; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000633:toxicity* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000187:drug effects