Quantification and classification of engineered, incidental, and natural cerium-containing particles by spICP-TOFMS

Cerium containing nanoparticles (Ce-NPs) from geogenic and anthropogenic sources are frequently found in the environment, and the ability to determine the origins of Ce-NPs relies on the presence of other rare earth elements (REEs), such as La. In this study, we develop a scheme to classify individu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science. Nano 2022-05, Vol.9 (5), p.1627-1638
Main Authors: Szakas, Sarah E, Lancaster, Richard, Kaegi, Ralf, Gundlach-Graham, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Bastnasite
Cerium
Cerium oxides
Classification
Confidence intervals
Detection limits
Diameters
Lanthanum
Mass ratios
Minerals
Mischmetal
Mixtures
Nanoparticles
Rare earth elements
Ratios
Statistical methods
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Summary:Cerium containing nanoparticles (Ce-NPs) from geogenic and anthropogenic sources are frequently found in the environment, and the ability to determine the origins of Ce-NPs relies on the presence of other rare earth elements (REEs), such as La. In this study, we develop a scheme to classify individual natural, incidental, and engineered Ce-containing particles using spICP-TOFMS. Well-characterized CeO 2 engineered particles (Ce-ENPs), incidental particles (Ce-INPs) from ferrocerium mischmetal, and natural particles (Ce-NNPs) from ground minerals (bastnaesite and parisite) are used as a model particle system. Based on mixtures of these three Ce-NP types, we demonstrate that the measured signals of Ce, La, and Nd in Ce-NNPs follow Poisson statistics and have conserved element ratios. The Ce-INPs we measure have similar Ce : La mass ratios to those of the Ce-NNPs, and Ce : Nd mass ratios can be used to distinguish these two Ce-NP types. Based on this, we develop particle-type-specific detection limits ( L D,sp ) for the measurement of La and Nd in Ce-NNPs. Our approach establishes L D,sp values with defined confidence intervals to control false-positive particle-type assignments, and allows us to accurately classify engineered, incidental, and natural Ce-NPs down to effective spherical diameters of 32, 35, and 45 nm, respectively. In pure Ce-NNP suspensions, this approach accurately classifies 68% of all detected Ce-NPs with
ISSN:2051-8153
2051-8161
DOI:10.1039/d1en01039e