The analysis of nanoparticles is a challenging task. Often only minute amounts of sample substance are available for characterization. Especially in research it may be the case that the samples must be analyzed non-destructively, as the particles may be required for further analyses or processing steps. The S2 PICOFOX can be used for the analysis of sample amounts in the µg range and still provide reliable results. Also, as the substances for analysis are simply placed on sample carriers, either by direct transfer or dried drops of a solution, no or only little sample preparation is required. This means that very often sample matter can be recovered and re-used for other purposes.
A number of different analyses were undertaken to demonstrate that the S2PICOFOX is well suited for the characterization of nanoparticles. The first of the analytical tasks was to determine whether certain element ratios in zinc sulphide coated cadmium selenide particles matched target values. These were the ratios of Zn/S, Cd/Se and Zn/Cd. It could be shown that results were in concordance with target values.
In a second analysis the use of the S2 PICOFOX for the determination of ultra-traces of nanoparticles in a solution was demonstrated. Analyzed was a solution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, beginning with a concentration of approximately 1 mg TiO2 per litre was subsequently further diluted. The lower limit of detection was determined to be 3.7 µg TiO2 particles per litre, clearly showing that the S2 PICOFOX can be well used for the determination of smallest amounts of nanoparticles – in this case – in solution.
More information on these analyses can be found in Lab Report XRF 438 “S2 PICOFOX Ultratrace Element Analysis of Nanoparticles”.