Table 1.

SEC methodology used for separation and characterization of metal NPs and QDs.

Metal nanoparticle (stabilizer/capping agent)	SEC column(s)	Eluent	Detectio n	Column calibration standard for size determinat ion	Remarks	Referenc e(s)
SEC in aqueous solution
Au (citrate)	Nucleosil 500 + Nucleosil 1000 C4 (Machery-Nagel	10−3 mol L−1 sodium citrate	PDA	Synthesized Au NPs (diameter determined by TEM)		[11]
Au (citrate)	Nucleosil 500 + Nucleosil 1000 C4 (Machery-Nagel)	10−3 mol L−1 sodium citrate	PDA			[12]
Au (citrate)	TSK3000 (Toyo)	H2O	UV-Vis (λ0 = 525 nm) and FL (em = 440 nm, ex = 230 nm)	Commercial PEG, polysaccha rides	SEC used for separation of AuNPs from impurities prior investigation of AuNP photoluminescence	[13]
Au (citrate)	Nucleogel GFC 1000-8 (Machery-Nagel)	H2O, 0.1 mmol L−1 SDS, 1 mmol L−1 SDS, 5 mmol L−1 SDS, 80 mmol L−1 SDS	PDA	Commercial Au NPs (diameter determined by the manufacturer)	5 mmol L−1 SDS authors’ choice from the tested mobile phases (used also when calibrating the column)	[14]
Spherical and rod-shaped Au (CTAB)	Nucleogel GFC 1000-8 (Machery-Nagel)	H2O, 40 mmol L−1 SDS, 40 mmol L−1 SDS + 30 mmol L−1 Brij-35	PDA		40 mmol L−1 SDS + 30 mmol L−1 Brij-35 gave best resolution when separating spherical and rod-shaped AuNPs	[15]
Au (citrate)	Nucleosil, 100 nm pore size and 7 μm particle size (Machery-Nagel)	5 mmol L−1 sodium citrate, 20 mmol L−1 sodium citrate, NaCl (concentration s used not reported), 15 mmol L−1 SDS, 50 mmol L−1 SDS	UV-Vis (λ0 = 520 nm)		The adsorption of AuNPs on C18-capped silica gel was found in separate TEM studies	[16]
Au (citrate)	Nucleogel GFC 60-8 (Machery-Nagel)	10 mmol L−1 SDS	UV-Vis (λ0 = 520 nm)	Commercial AuNPs (diameter determined by the manufacturer)		[17–21]
Phenylethynyl-bridged AuNP dimers and trimers (citrate)	Silica microsphere GPC columns, 500 Å and 350 Å (Alltech, Inc.)	40 mmol L−1 SDS	UV-Vis (λ0 = 525 nm)			[22]
Au/Pd core/shell (SDS)	Nucleogel GFC 60-8 (Machery-Nagel)	10 mmol L−1 SDS	UV-Vis (λ0 = 520 nm)	Commercial AuNPs (diameter determined by the manufacturer)		[19,23]
Au/Pt core/shell (SDS)	Nucleogel GFC 60-8 (Machery-Nagel)	10 mmol L−1 SDS	UV-Vis (λ0 = 520 nm)	Commercial AuNPs (diameter determined by the manufacturer)		[24]
CdS (polyphosphate)	Nucleosil 500 C4 + Nucleosil 1000 C4 (Machery-Nagel)	10−3 mol L−1 Cd(ClO4)2 + 10−3 mol L−1 hexametaphosphate	PDA	Narrow dispersity CdS (diameter determined by TEM)		[12,25–29]
ZnS (polyphosphate)	Nucleosil 500 C4 + Nucleosil 1000 C4 (Machery-Nagel)	10−3 mol L−1 Zn(ClO4)2 + 10−3 mol L−1 hexametaphosphate	PDA	Narrow dispersity ZnS (diameter determined by TEM)		[27]
CdSe (amphiphilic polymer)	Superdex 200 (GE Healthcare Life Sciences)	0.1 mol L−1 NH4HCO3, pH 7.4	UV-Vis, FL, ICP-MS		Column recoveries reported	[30]
CdSe/ZnS core/shell (amphiphilic polymer)	Superdex 200 (GE Healthcare Life Sciences)	0.1 mol L−1 NH4HCO3, pH 7.4	UV-Vis, FL, ICP-MS		Column recoveries reported	[30]
SEC in organic solvent
Au (octane/tridodecylmethylammonium chloride/hexanol)	PL-500 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	THF	PDA (λ0 = 520 nm) and FL (em = 520 nm, ex = 300 nm)			[13]
Au (various alkylthiols)	PL-1000 or PL-500 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	0.01mol L−1 dodecanethiolin toluene	PDA (λ0 = 520 nm), DRI, conductivity	Linear alkanes and polystyrene standards	DRI and conductivity detection used to demonstrate that AuNPs had no charge and that AuNPs were separated from the nonabsorbing chemicals	[31–34]
Au (octadecanethiol/tetraoctanethiol/decanethiol)	PLgel 1110 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	Toluene	UV-Vis (λ0 = 520 nm), DRI	Polymer standards (not specified)	Recycling SEC used in addition to conventional SEC	[35]
Au (polystyrene coated)	PLgel 1110 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	Toluene	PDA (λ0 = 505 nm), DRI	Polystyrene standards		[36]
Ag (tetraoctylammonium bromide/tetraoctylammonium chloride/trioctylphosphine	PL-1000 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	0.01mol L−1 dodecane thiolin toluene	PDA (λ0 = 400 nm), DRI, conductivity	Linear alkanes and polystyrene standards	DRI and conductivity detection used to demonstrate that AgNPs had no charge and that AgNPs were separated from the non-absorbing chemicals	[32]
CdS (dodecanethiol)	Nucleosil 500 + Nucleosil 1000 (Machery-Nagel)	1 mmol L−1 Cd(ClO4)2 + 1 mmol L−1 dodecanethiolin THF	PDA			[27]
CdSe (alkylphosphines)	PL-50 or PL-1000 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	THF	PDA, DRI, FL		DRI was used to detect non-absorbing chemicals	[37]
CdSe (alkythiols)	PLgel 1110 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	0.1 mol L−1 trioctylphosphine in toluene	UV-Vis	Polystyrene standards	Recycling SEC used in addition to conventional SEC	[38]
CdSe with a ligand of poly (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) labeled with pyrene	AM Gel Linear/5 (American Polymer Standards Corporation)	N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone	UV-Vis (λ0 = 343 nm), DRI			[39]
Polystyrene coated CdSe	PLgel 1110 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	0.1 mol L−1 trioctylphosphine in toluene	PDA (λ0 = 517 nm), DRI	Polystyrene standards		[36]
CdSe/ZnS core/shell (alkylphosphines)	PL-50 or PL-1000 (Agilent/Polymer Laboratories)	THF	PDA, DRI, FL		DRI was used to detect non-absorbing chemicals	[37]
CeO2 (unmodified and surface modified)	poly(methyl methacrylate brush immobilized silica monolith columns/Shodex KF-803L and Shodex KF-805L	THF	DRI		poly(methyl methacrylate brush stationary phase was synthesized by authors	[40]
Pd (decanethiol/dodecanethiol/hexadecanethiol)	JAIGEL-W253 (Japan Analytical Industry Co., Ltd)	Toluene	UV-Vis (λ0 = 290 nm)	Polystyrene standards	Recycling preparative SEC	[41]
Qdot® 545 and 705	poly(methyl methacrylate brush immobilized silica monolith columns/Shodex KF-803L and Shodex KF-805L	THF	DRI		poly(methyl methacrylate brush stationary phase was synthesized by authors Qdot 545 is CdSe/ZnS (core/shell) and Qdot 705 is CdSeTe/ZnS (core/shell)	[40]