Accurate iron quantification in colloids and nanocomposites by a simple UV-Vis protocol

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Accurate iron quantification is crucial for characterizing iron-based nanomaterials.
• Existing methods may be expensive or complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simple UV-Vis spectrophotometric protocol for iron quantification.
• To assess the reliability and robustness of calibration curves for iron determination.
• To evaluate the influence of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) properties on iron quantification.

Main Methods:

• Formation of iron (III) chloride complexes for UV-Vis detection.
• Development and statistical evaluation of calibration curves.
• Testing the protocol with SPIONs of varying sizes and surface functionalizations.
• Comparison of UV-Vis results with Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES).

Main Results:

• A reliable UV-Vis protocol for iron quantification was established.
• Calibration curves demonstrated robustness across different SPION characteristics.
• The effect of particle coating on iron quantification was assessed.
• UV-Vis results showed good agreement with ICP-OES.

Conclusions:

• The proposed UV-Vis protocol offers a simple, cost-effective, and accurate method for determining iron content.
• This method is suitable for iron quantification in colloidal and nanocomposite iron-based materials.
• The protocol's reliability is confirmed by statistical analysis and comparison with ICP-OES.