Application Note

Analysis of SiO2 Nanoparticles in Reaction Mode with Single Particle ICP-MS


With the increased use of nanoparticles (NPs) in various products and processes, the need to characterize them has also increased. Single Particle ICP-MS (SP-ICP-MS) was developed for rapid analysis of nanoparticles, measuring thousands of particles in less than a minute, while providing individual particle information on particle size, particle size distribution, particle concentration, dissolved concentration of the element, and agglomeration.

Silicon dioxide (SiO2) NPs are among the largest domestically produced nanomaterials in Japan after carbon black. In a previous study, we reported that the 100 nm SiO2 nanoparticle standard can be analyzed using SP-ICP-MS without interference removal, using Standard mode. However, if the interference can be removed in Reaction mode, it is expected that smaller SiO2 NPs will be accurately measured.

In this work, we demonstrate the ability of PerkinElmer’s NexION® ICP-MS Single Particle Analyzer to accurately measure 50 nm SiO2 nanoparticles by reducing interferences while maintaining analyte intensity, thanks to the combination of short dwell times and Reaction mode.