Determination of Metallic Impurities in Carbon Nanotubes by Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry.
Patricia GrinbergBradley A J MethvenKatarzyna SwiderZoltan MesterPublished in: ACS omega (2021)
A method for the rapid assessment of metallic impurities in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by pin-cell source geometry glow discharge mass spectrometry (GDMS) is presented. Pins were prepared by pressing CNT powder onto an indium substrate. GDMS analysis was performed using high-carbon-content nanotube and coal-certified reference materials for calibration purposes. This approach enables the calibrated measurement of 41 elemental impurities in CNTs. The method was validated by the analysis of NIST SRM 2483 single-wall CNTs (raw soot) with good agreement with the certified values. The proposed measurement approach could also be applied not only for CNTs but also for the assessment of precursor materials used in the synthesis of CNTs and for quality control during the entire manufacturing process. The ability to assess the presence of all metallic impurities in a simple, reliable, high-throughput manner will allow the industry to real-time monitor any changes in the product process, access its toxicity, and environmental impact. As sample preparation is maintained to a minimum, this allows the determination of metallic impurities at concentration levels that are usually not attainable by most techniques.
Keyphrases
- carbon nanotubes
- mass spectrometry
- quality control
- high throughput
- liquid chromatography
- molecularly imprinted
- single cell
- solid phase extraction
- high resolution
- high performance liquid chromatography
- capillary electrophoresis
- gas chromatography
- particulate matter
- heavy metals
- cell therapy
- stem cells
- tandem mass spectrometry
- data analysis