Characterization of Nanoparticles by Mass Spectrometry

While mass spectrometry has been widely used for decades in biomolecules analyses, the story of mass spectrometric characterization of nanoparticles (NPs) is still short. The mass spectrometry has recently received much attention in the nanoparticle world due to its powerful usefulness especially in elucidating the chemical structures of the smaller-sized NPs (<5 nm). We are witnessing the major improvements of mass spectrometry that are taking places both in thestructural analyses of NPs but also in the mass elucidation of NPs. The advances are mainly coming in the form of improvements in instruments such as advances in ion sources.

Among the most basic criterions of a mass spectrometric technique, the two important factors are the resolution and the sensitivity, of which the former one is increasingly important in identifying the accurate chemical structures of NPs, and the laterone is of super significance in elucidating the exact mass of NPs. This need for developing mass spectrometric techniques with better resolution and higher sensitivity and searching for pathways to improve was noted in some important research of the leaders in this field.