Adding More Shape to Nanoscale Reference Materials─LiYF4:Yb,Tm Bipyramids as Standards for Sizing Methods and Particle Number Concentration
Source: BAM
The accurate and reliable characterization of nanomaterials is crucial for regulatory compliance, industrial applications, and scientific research. While most existing nanoscale reference materials (nanoRMs) are spherical, real-world nanomaterials often exhibit complex shapes, imposing more stringent requirements on characterization techniques. The publication "Adding More Shape to Nanoscale Reference Materials─LiYF4:Yb,Tm Bipyramids as Standards for Sizing Methods and Particle Number Concentration" explores the use of monodisperse LiYF4:Yb,Tm bipyramids as potential reference materials for size, shape, and particle number concentration and their application for validating simulations of SAXS data obtained for dispersions of non-spherical nano-objects. These quantities were determined by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), using an absolutely calibrated traceable SAXS setup. The SAXS measurements of the two bipyramids, revealing peak-to-peak distances of 43 nm and 29 nm, were complemented by size and shape measurements of dried particles deposited onto a solid support with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by gravimetry, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), providing particle mass and chemical composition. These bipyramids, which can be reproducibly synthesized with excellent size and shape control, can serve as future reference test materials and reference materials for sizing methods and particle number concentration measurements, providing traceable results for ligand-capped non-spherical nanoparticles. This research contributes to the development of more precise and consistent methodologies for analyzing nanomaterials, particularly by ensuring accurate and reliable measurements of size, shape, and particle number concentration, and to BAM´s mission of producing and providing reference materials and reference data.
Adding More Shape to Nanoscale Reference Materials─LiYF4:Yb,Tm Bipyramids as Standards for Sizing Methods and Particle Number ConcentrationClick to copy article link
Jérôme Deumer, Elina Andresen, Christian Gollwitzer, Robin Schürmann, Ute Resch-Genger
Analytical Chemistry 2024, 96, 48, 19004–19011