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Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation for Sizing of Gold Nanoparticles in Suspension
Published on: September 11, 2020
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Reinjection flow field-flow fractionation method for nanoparticle quantitative analysis in unknown and complex
Yu Wang1, Chao Yang1, Yulun Nie1
1Faculty of Materials Science and Chemistry, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, China.
Journal of Chromatography. A
|January 23, 2021
Summary
Quantifying complex nanoparticle mixtures is challenging. This study introduces a novel reinjection asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4 × AF4) method coupled with ICP-MS for accurate selenium quantification in selenium-rich soybean protein isolates.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Environmental Science
- Food Science
Background:
- Quantifying heterogeneous nanoparticles in complex samples like food and environmental matrices presents significant analytical challenges.
- Accurate determination of nanoparticle properties, such as molecular weight and elemental abundance, is crucial for understanding their behavior and impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel analytical method for the characterization of low molecular weight (Mw) protein fractions and their selenium abundance in complex samples.
- To improve the resolution and reduce elution time in nanoparticle separation using a non-linear decay crossflow program.
Main Methods:
- Utilized reinjection asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4 × AF4) coupled with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
- Employed statistical deconvolution to identify and quantify molecular weight and selenium abundance in protein fractions.
- Developed a non-linear decay crossflow program to optimize separation for both low and high Mw components.
- Validated the reinjection method using a standard protein mixture, achieving high peak reproducibility (RSD < 1%).
Main Results:
- The reinjection AF4 × AF4-ICP-MS method accurately assessed the number and location of underlying peaks, minimizing overfitting in statistical deconvolution.
- Significant variations in selenium abundance (0.28 to 1.66 cps/V) were observed across low Mw protein fractions (13.75 kDa to 104.17 kDa) in selenium-rich soybean protein isolates (Se-SPI).
- These findings indicate differential selenium-binding capabilities among selenium-rich proteins within Se-SPI.
Conclusions:
- The developed reinjection AF4 × AF4-ICP-MS method offers a robust solution for analyzing complex nanoparticle systems.
- The method provides accurate molecular weight and elemental abundance data, crucial for understanding nanoparticle composition and interactions.
- The study highlights the heterogeneity of selenium distribution in Se-SPI, offering insights into protein-selenium binding mechanisms.
