Possibilities for analysis of selected nanometals in solid environmental samples

Abstract

Nanotechnology is a field which is developing rapidly due to possibilities of applying nanoscale entities in most fields of human activity and everyday life. However, the presence of metal nanoparticles, including nano-oxides, free nanometals, in all fields of human economy and activity causes the volume of nanocompounds emitted to the biosphere to increase regularly. This is the reason for their gradual build-up in individual components of the environment, including soil and bottom sediments. Nanometals, as materials diversified in terms of chemical properties, require availability of analytical procedures which enable acquisition of reliable information on the presence, volume and physicochemical properties of nanometals. Traditional methods of environmental protection, as far as sample collection, processing and the analysis are concerned, must be adapted to the nanometals emitted into the environment. It must be added that, due to the wide range of nanometals, their selective determination constitutes a major challenge. The challenge is further aggravated by shortage of standard analytical procedures as well as reference substances necessary to ensure adequate control levels and the quality of analytical results. At each study level, these difficulties can be overcome by comparing the results of determinations obtained with a variety of analytical methods and techniques (such as XRD, SEM, FT-IR, UV–vis, NanoSight or ICP-MS-TOF). This kind of procedure enables assessment of possibilities for application of these techniques to standard determinations.

Keywords:

• Solid environmental samples
• Nanometals
• Analytical techniques

Notes

Presented at the 12th Scientific Conference on Microcontaminants in Human Environment 25–27 September 2014, Czestochowa, Poland