Single particle ICP-MS combined with filtration membrane for accurate determination of silver nanoparticles in the real aqueous environment

This work presents the role of commercial microfiltration membranes combined with single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) in removing environmental matrix interference for model silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) determination. The filters with different pore sizes (0.22 mu m, 0.45 mu m, 0.8 mu m) and materials (mixed cellulose ester, polyether sulfone, and nylon) were investigated to acquire the recovery of particle concentration and size of AgNPs spiked into different real aqueous solutions, including ultrapure water, tap water, surface water, and sewage effluent. The maximum recovery of nanoparticle concentration was 70.2% through the 0.8 mu m polyether sulfone membrane. The heated filters were able to improve the recovery of AgNPs particle concentration in the real aqueous environment. Hence, the pretreatment method by SP-ICP-MS combined with filtration membrane was simple, fast, and low-cost to quantify AgNPs in natural water environments.

Automated summary

This study investigates the use of commercial microfiltration membranes combined with single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) to remove environmental matrix interference and determine the concentration of model silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Different pore sizes (0.22 μm, 0.45 μm, 0.8 μm) and materials (mixed cellulose ester, polyether sulfone, and nylon) of filters were tested for recovery of AgNPs concentration and size in various real aqueous solutions. The maximum recovery of nanoparticle concentration was 70.2% using a 0.8 μm polyether sulfone membrane. Heating the filters improved the recovery of AgNPs particles in the real aqueous environment. Therefore, the proposed pretreatment method by SP-ICP-MS combined with filtration membrane is a simple, fast, and cost-effective approach for quantifying AgNPs in natural water environments.