单颗粒-电感耦合等离子体质谱(SP-ICP-MS)法数据处理算法的技术发展现状

单颗粒-电感耦合等离子体质谱法(Single particle-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, SP-ICP-MS)将高通量的粒子计数技术与ICP-MS时间分辨分析相结合,进行快速的单个颗粒逐一表征。此技术不仅可以获取单个颗粒的质量和粒径信息,还能获得溶解态和颗粒态的元素含量信息。经过二十余年的发展,SP-ICP-MS法正逐渐成为表征单颗粒的重要方法之一,其显著的技术优势获得了广泛关注,业内诸多学者对其仪器运行条件优化、数据采集方法、数据处理算法等关键技术方面的研究也取得了长足进展。本文综述了SP-ICP-MS表征纳米颗粒的技术路线、数据处理算法及研究进展,重点讨论了单颗粒定量分析的关键问题及其未来研究方向。但必须指出的是,当前业内在不同应用场景下所建立的颗粒事件鉴别算法、溶液信号的判定阈值算法、颗粒信号质量控制和精确的颗粒定量表征方法尚未明确统一,仍然缺乏足够普适的数据处理方式,这使得SP-ICP-MS技术在广泛的纳米颗粒应用中仍需面对准确定量的挑战。

The current state of technological development in data processing algorithms for Single Particle-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS)

Single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) integrates high-throughput particle counting technology with time-resolved ICP-MS analysis, enabling the efficient and rapid characterization of individual particles. This method not only provides information on the mass and size of individual particles, but also enables the determination of total particle number concentration, particle size distribution, and measurement of elemental content in both dissolved and particulate states simultaneously. Over the course of more than two decades of development, SP-ICP-MS has emerged as a crucial technique for characterizing single particles. Its substantial technical advantages have garnered considerable attention, and numerous researchers in the field have made noteworthy advancements in exploring its analytical methods, data acquisition techniques, and data processing algorithms. This article comprehensively reviews the technical approaches, data processing algorithms, and research progress in characterizing nanoparticles using SP-ICP-MS. It specifically focuses on the crucial issues in single-particle quantitative analysis and provides insights into future research directions. However, it is important to note that the current analysis of SP-ICP-MS in different application still lacks clear and unified algorithms for particle event identification, determination thresholds for solution signals, quality control for particle signals, and precise methods for particle quantification (such as quantifying particle number concentration, particle mass concentration, and particle average/median size). A lack of universally applicable data processing approaches poses challenges in achieving accurate quantification in the wide range of nanoparticle applications using SP-ICP-MS technology.