Comparative method evaluation for size and size-distribution analysis of gold nanoparticles.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are popular colloidal substrates in various sensor, imaging, and nanomedicine applications. In separation science, they have raised some interest as a support for sample preparation. Reasons for their popularity are their low cost, ability for size-controlled synthesis with well-defined narrow nanoparticle size distributions, as well as straightforward surface functionalization by self-assembling (thiol-containing) molecules on the surface, which allows flexible introduction of functionalities for the selective capture of analytes. Most commonly, the method of first choice for size determination is dynamic light scattering (DLS). However, DLS has some serious shortcomings, and results from DLS may be misleading. For this reason, in this contribution several distinct complementary nanoparticle sizing methodologies were utilized and compared to characterize citrate-capped GNPs of different diameters in the range of 13-26 nm. Weaknesses and strengths of DLS, transmission electron microscopy, asymmetrical-flow field-flow fractionation and nanoelectrospray gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analysis are discussed and the results comparatively assessed. Furthermore, the distinct GNPs were characterized by measuring their zeta-potential and surface plasmon resonance spectra. Overall, the combination of methods for GNP characterization gives a more realistic and comprehensive picture of their real physicochemical properties, (hydrodynamic) diameter, and size distribution.

[1]  G. Mie.  Beiträge zur Optik trüber Medien, speziell kolloidaler Metallösungen , 1908 .

[2]  M. Meneghetti,et al.  Size Evaluation of Gold Nanoparticles by UV−vis Spectroscopy , 2009 .

[3]  B. Paull,et al.  Pipette-tip selective extraction of glycoproteins with lectin modified gold nano-particles on a polymer monolithic phase. , 2011, The Analyst.

[4]  S. Mertens,et al.  Application of an asymmetric flow field flow fractionation multi-detector approach for metallic engineered nanoparticle characterization--prospects and limitations demonstrated on Au nanoparticles. , 2011, Analytica chimica acta.

[5]  F. Liu,et al.  Polymer monoliths with exchangeable chemistries: use of gold nanoparticles as intermediate ligands for capillary columns with varying surface functionalities. , 2010, Analytical chemistry.

[6]  G. Frens.  Controlled nucleation for the regulation of the particle size in monodisperse gold solutions , 1973 .

[7]  Sanjeev Kumar,et al.  Modeling of Formation of Gold Nanoparticles by Citrate Method , 2007 .

[8]  M. Tarlov,et al.  Quantifying the Surface Coverage of Conjugate Molecules on Functionalized Nanoparticles , 2007 .

[9]  Lee L Yu,et al.  Real-time size discrimination and elemental analysis of gold nanoparticles using ES-DMA coupled to ICP-MS , 2013, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

[10]  Yan Xu,et al.  Porous polymer monolithic column with surface-bound gold nanoparticles for the capture and separation of cysteine-containing peptides. , 2010, Analytical chemistry.

[11]  T. Prohaska,et al.  Quantifying Thiol Ligand Density of Self-Assembled Monolayers on Gold Nanoparticles by Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry , 2013, ACS nano.

[12]  V. Král,et al.  Open-tubular capillary electrochromatography with bare gold nanoparticles-based stationary phase applied to separation of trypsin digested native and glycated proteins. , 2012, Journal of separation science.

[13]  G. Allmaier,et al.  Nano ES GEMMA and PDMA, new tools for the analysis of nanobioparticles—Protein complexes, lipoparticles, and viruses , 2008, Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.

[14]  K. Wahlund.  Flow field-flow fractionation: critical overview. , 2013, Journal of chromatography. A.

[15]  M. Epple,et al.  Possibilities and limitations of different analytical methods for the size determination of a bimodal dispersion of metallic nanoparticles , 2011 .

[16]  M. Valcárcel,et al.  Electrophoretic methods for the analysis of nanoparticles , 2011 .

[17]  K. Záruba,et al.  Application of gold nanoparticles in separation sciences. , 2010, Journal of separation science.

[18]  C. Koch,et al.  Quantitative characterization of gold nanoparticles by field-flow fractionation coupled online with light scattering detection and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. , 2011, Analytical chemistry.

[19]  Rolf U. Halden,et al.  Analysis of gold nanoparticle mixtures: a comparison of hydrodynamic chromatography (HDC) and asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled to ICP-MS , 2012 .

[20]  Yongqin Lv,et al.  Preparation of porous polymer monoliths featuring enhanced surface coverage with gold nanoparticles. , 2012, Journal of chromatography. A.

[21]  Susmita Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Microscopic and Spectroscopic Methods Applied to the Measurements of Nanoparticles in the Environment , 2012 .

[22]  Zhixing Lin,et al.  Hypercrosslinked large surface area porous polymer monoliths for hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography of small molecules featuring zwitterionic functionalities attached to gold nanoparticles held in layered structure. , 2012, Analytical chemistry.

[23]  N. Khlebtsov,et al.  On the measurement of gold nanoparticle sizes by the dynamic light scattering method , 2011 .

[24]  S. Krol,et al.  Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation with multi-angle light scattering detection for the analysis of structured nanoparticles. , 2009, Journal of chromatography. A.

[25]  A. Zattoni,et al.  Flow field-flow fractionation with multiangle light scattering detection for the analysis and characterization of functional nanoparticles , 2011, Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry.

[26]  G. Frens.  Controlled Nucleation for the Regulation of the Particle Size in Monodisperse Gold Suspensions , 1973 .

[27]  E. Fukusaki,et al.  Quantitative analysis of anionic metabolites for Catharanthus roseus by capillary electrophoresis using sulfonated capillary coupled with electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. , 2008, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering.

[28]  Nikolai G Khlebtsov,et al.  Determination of size and concentration of gold nanoparticles from extinction spectra. , 2008, Analytical chemistry.

[29]  S. Kaufman.  Electrospray diagnostics performed by using sucrose and proteins in the gas-phase electrophoretic mobility molecular analyzer (GEMMA). , 2000 .

[30]  R. V. Van Duyne,et al.  Localized surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and sensing. , 2007, Annual review of physical chemistry.

[31]  D. Fernig,et al.  Determination of size and concentration of gold nanoparticles from UV-vis spectra. , 2007, Analytical chemistry.

[32]  R. Hill,et al.  Nanoparticle ζ -potentials. , 2012, Accounts of chemical research.

[33]  J. Mora,et al.  Differential mobility analysis of molecular ions and nanometer particles , 1998 .

[34]  Mark A. Atwater,et al.  Extinction coefficient of gold nanoparticles with different sizes and different capping ligands. , 2007, Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces.

[35]  W. Szymanski,et al.  Determination of Molecular Weight, Particle Size, and Density of High Number Generation PAMAM Dendrimers Using MALDI−TOF−MS and nES−GEMMA , 2007 .

[36]  Fu-Ken Liu.  SEC Characterization of Au Nanoparticles Prepared through Seed-Assisted Synthesis , 2007 .

[37]  W. Lindner,et al.  Bioconjugation of trypsin onto gold nanoparticles: effect of surface chemistry on bioactivity. , 2012, Analytica chimica acta.

[38]  J. Hillier,et al.  A study of the nucleation and growth processes in the synthesis of colloidal gold , 1951 .

[39]  J. Driskell,et al.  Monitoring gold nanoparticle conjugation and analysis of biomolecular binding with nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). , 2013, The Analyst.

[40]  S. Kaufman,et al.  Peer Reviewed: Nanoparticle Detection Technology for Chemical Analysis. , 1999 .

[41]  G. Allmaier,et al.  Parallel differential mobility analysis for electrostatic characterization and manipulation of nanoparticles and viruses. , 2011, Trends in analytical chemistry : TRAC.

[42]  Michael J Tarlov,et al.  Electrospray-differential mobility analysis of bionanoparticles. , 2012, Trends in biotechnology.