title: Characterization of silver nanoparticles-alginate complexes by combined size separation and size measurement techniques.
abstract: The detection and quantification of nanoparticles is a complex issue due to the need to combine "classical" identification and quantification of the constituent material, with the accurate determination of the size of submicrometer objects, usually well below the optical diffraction limit. In this work, the authors show that one of the most used analytical methods for silver nanoparticles, asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation, can be strongly influenced by the presence of dissolved organic matter (such as alginate) and lead to potentially misleading results. The authors explain the anomalies in the separation process and show a very general way forward based on the combination of size separation and size measurement techniques. This combination of techniques results in more robust AF4-based methods for the sizing of silver nanoparticles in environmental conditions and could be generally applied to the sizing of nanoparticles in complex matrices.
authors.affiliation: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy and Departamento de Biologia and CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3750 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: Diana C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: António
authors.affiliation: DG Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cascio
authors.affiliation: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gilliland
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biologia and CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, 3750 Aveiro, Portugal.
authors.forename: António J A
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.affiliation: European Commission-DG Joint Research Centre, Via E. Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calzolai
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates; D031521:Fractionation, Field Flow; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D012834:Silver
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D012834:Silver; D020723:Glucuronic Acid