Table 3.
Selection of standardized test methods and guides for the assessment of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials relevant for the nanomedicine field
| Name of standard test method or guide | Endpoint | Nanomaterial type | References | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical applications | ||||
| Standard guide for measurement of electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential of nanosized biological materials | Zeta potential | Biological materials | ASTM E2865‐12 | Refers to biological materials such as proteins, DNA, liposomes |
| New test method for measuring the size of nanoparticles in aqueous media using batch‐mode dynamic light scattering | Particle size | NPs for biomedical applications | ASTM WK54872 | Under development |
| New guide for standard practice for performing electron cryo‐microscopy of liposomes | Particle shape and size distribution | Liposomes | ASTM WK54615 | Under development |
| Other applications | ||||
| Characterization of single‐wall carbon nanotubes using transmission electron microscopy | Particle size, morphology | SWCNTs | ISO/TS 10797:2012 | Last review in 2015; could be adapted to cover other types of NPs |
| Characterization of single‐wall carbon nanotubes using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry analysis | Morphology, elemental composition of impurities including catalysts | SWCNTs, MWCNTs | ISO/TS 10798:2011 | Being adapted to include MWCNTs |
| Characterization of single‐wall carbon nanotubes using near infrared photoluminescence spectroscopy | Chiral indices of semi‐conducting SWCNTs | SWCNTs | ISO/TS 10867:2010 | To be adapted based on review in 2017 |
| Characterization of single‐wall carbon nanotubes using ultraviolet–visible–near infrared (UV–Vis–NIR) absorption spectroscopy | Particle size, purity, and ratio of metallic content to the total SWCNT content in the sample | SWCNTs | ISO/TS 10868:2011 | Could be adapted to other inorganic NPs |
| Characterization of volatile components in single‐wall carbon nanotube samples using evolved gas analysis/gas chromatograph‐mass spectrometry | Characterization of volatile components in SWCNTs samples | SWCNTs | ISO/TS 11251:2010 | To be adapted based on review in 2017 |
| Characterization of single‐wall carbon nanotubes using thermogravimetric analysis | Purity assessment | SWCNTs | ISO/TS 11308:2011 | Being adapted to also include MWCNTs, could be adapted to other inorganic and organic NPs |
| Determination of elemental impurities in samples of carbon nanotubes using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry | Purity assessment, chemical composition | SWCNTs and MWCNTs | ISO/TS 13278:2011 | New version approved for publication; could be adapted to other inorganic and organic NPs |
| Characterization of multiwall carbon nanotubes—mesoscopic shape factors | Description of shape using SEM, TEM, viscometry, and light scattering analysis | MWCNTs | ISO/TS 11888:2017 | Relevant also for other types of NPs |
| Surface characterization of gold nanoparticles for nanomaterial specific toxicity screening: FT‐IR method | Surface characteristics | Gold NPs | ISO/TS 14101:2012 | Last review in 2016; relevant also for other types of NPs |
| Use of UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy in the characterization of cadmium chalcogenide colloidal quantum dots | Particle size and concentration | Quantum dots | ISO/TS 17466:2015 | Could be adapted to other metallic NPs |
| Size distribution and concentration of inorganic nanoparticles in aqueous media via single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry | Particle size and concentration | Inorganic NPs | ISO/TS 19590:2017 | |
| Determination of the specific surface area of solids by gas adsorption—BET methoda | Specific surface area | Powders including nanopowders | ISO 9277:2010 | |
| Colloidal systems—methods for zeta‐potential determination—Parts 1, 2, 3a | Zeta potential | Colloidal systems | ISO 13099‐1:2012, ‐2:2012, ‐3:2014 | |
| Determination of particle size distribution by centrifugal liquid sedimentation methodsa | Particle size | ISO 13318‐1:2001, ‐2:2007, ‐3:2004 | ||
| Small‐angle X‐ray scattering | Particle size | ISO 17867:2015 | ||
| Particle tracking analysis methoda | Particle size | ISO 19430:2016 | ||
| Dynamic light scatteringa | Particle size | ISO 22412:2017 | ||
| Standard guide for measurement of particle size distribution of nanomaterials in suspension by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) | Particle size distribution (guide) | ASTM E2834‐12 | ||
| Standard guide for measurement of particle size distribution of nanomaterials in suspension by photon correlation spectroscopy | Particle size distribution (guide) | ASTM E2490‐09(2015) | ||
| Standard guide for size measurement of nanoparticles using atomic force microscopy | Particle size | ASTM E2859‐11(2017) | ||
| Measurements of particle size and shape distributions by scanning electron microscopy | Particle size and shape distribution | ISO/WD 19749 | Under development | |
| Application of field flow fractionation for characterization of nanomaterial contents | Separation and size distribution | ISO/DTS 21362 | Under development | |
| Protocol for particle size distribution by transmission electron microscopy | Particle size, morphology | ISO/WD 21363 | Under development | |
| New guide for standard guide for the analysis of nanoparticles by single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SP‐ICP‐MS) | Chemical composition | ASTM WK54613 | Under development | |
Note. DTS, draft technical specification; MWCNTs, multiwall carbon nanotubes; SWCNTs, single‐wall carbon nanotubes; TS, technical specification; WD, working draft; WK, work item.
a
Not designed specifically for nanoscale but relevant for nanomaterials.