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In this paper, the accurate determination of the size and size distribution of bipyramidal anatase nanoparticles (NPs) after deposition as single particles on a silicon substrate by correlative Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) analysis is described as a new measurement procedure for metrological purposes. The knowledge of the exact orientation of the NPs is a crucial step in extracting the real 3D dimensions of the particles. Two approaches are proposed to determine the geometrical orientation of individual nano‐bipyramides: (i) AFM profiling along the long bipyramid axis and (ii) stage tilting followed by SEM imaging. Furthermore, a recently developed method, Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD), which needs preparation of the crystalline NPs on electron‐transparent substrates such as TEM grids, has been tested with respect to its capability of identifying the geometrical orientation of the individual NPs. With the NPs prepared homogeneously on a TEM grid, the transmission mode in a SEM, i.e., STEM‐in‐SEM (or T‐SEM), can be also applied to extract accurate projection dimensions of the nanoparticles from the same sample area as that analysed by SEM, TKD and possibly AFM. Finally, Small Angle X‐ray Scattering (SAXS) can be used as an ensemble technique able to measure the NPs in liquid suspension and, with ab‐initio knowledge of the NP shape from the descriptive imaging techniques, to provide traceable NP size distribution and particle concentration.
An overview is given on the synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with well-defined nonspherical shapes (platelet like, bipyramidal, and elongated), with the focus on controlled, reproducible synthesis, as a key requirement for the production of reference materials with homogeneous and stable properties. Particularly with regard to the nanoparticle shapes, there is a high need of certified materials,
solely one material of this type being commercially available since a few months (elongated TiO2). Further, measurement approaches with electron microscopy as the golden method to tackle the nanoparticle shape are developed to determine accurately the size and shape distribution for such nonspherical particles. A prerequisite for accurate and easy (i.e., automated) image analysis is the sample preparation, which ideally must ensure a deposition of the nanoparticles from liquid suspension onto a substrate such that the particles do not overlap, are solvent-free, and have a high deposition density. Challenges in the Synthesis of perfectly monodispersed and solvent-free TiO2 nanoparticles of platelet and acicular shapes are highlighted as well as successful measurement approaches on how to extract from 2D projection electron micrographs the most accurate spatial information, that is, true 3D size, for example, of the bipyramidal nanoparticles with different geometrical orientations on a substrate.
Iron oxide nanoparticles gain increasing attention due to their broad industrial use. However, safety concerns exist since their effects on human cells are still under investigation. The presence of iron oxide nanoparticles in the food pigment E172 has been shown recently. Here, we studied four iron oxide nanoparticles, one food pigment E172 and the ionic control FeSO4 regarding dissolution in biological media, uptake and transport, and cellular effects in vitro in human intestinal Caco-2 and HepaRG hepatocarcinoma cells. The iron oxide nanoparticles passed the gastrointestinal passage without dissolution and reached the intestine in the form of particles. Minor uptake was seen into Caco-2 cells but almost no transport to the basolateral site was detected for any of the tested particles. HepaRG cells showed higher particle uptake. Caco-2 cells showed no alterations in reactive oxygen species production, apoptosis, or mitochondrial membrane potential, whereas two particles induced apoptosis in HepaRG cells, and one altered mitochondrial membrane potential at non-cytotoxic concentrations. No correlation between physicochemical particle characteristics and cellular effects was observed, thus emphasizing the Need for case-by-case assessment of iron oxide nanoparticles.
Thermoplastic modified thermosets are of great interest especially due to their improved fracture toughness. Comparable enhancements have been achieved by adding different nanofillers including inorganic particles such as nanosized boehmite. Here, we present a nanomechanical study of two composite systems, the first comprising a polycarbonate (PC) layer in contact with epoxy resin (EP) and the second consisting of a PC layer containing boehmite nanoparticles (BNP) which is also in contact with an EP layer. The interaction between PC and EP monomer is tested by in situ Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) analysis, from which a reaction induced phase separation of the PC phase is inferred. Both systems are explored by atomic force microscopy (AFM) force spectroscopy. AFM force-distance curves (FDC) show no alteration of the mechanical properties of EP at the interface to PC. However, when a PC phase loaded with BNP is put in contact with an epoxy system during curing, a considerable mechanical improvement exceeding the rule of mixture was detected.
The trend of BNP to agglomerate preferentially around EP dominated regions and the stiffening effect of BNP on EP shown by spatial resolved measurements of Young's modulus, suggest the effective presence of BNP within the EP phase.
As part of the development of a library of accurate and efficient methods for measurement of nanoparticle properties, we develop and optimize a method for the efficient analysis of nanoparticle size distribution from suspensions via microprinting and digital analysis of electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) images, with the ultimate aim of automated quantitative concentration analysis (calculated from drop volume). A series of different nanoparticle suspensions (gold, latex, and SiO2 in varying sizes and concentrations) were printed onto TEM grids in a 4 x 4 array in the concentration range 7x10^8 to 1x10^11 nanoparticles/mL and imaged with SEM. Concentrations and printing conditions (temperature, relative humidity) were varied in order to minimize the coffee-ring effect.