Perspectives and conclusions

The extreme diversity of nano-objects makes any characterization strategy specific to the type of sample studied. In the environment, the wide variety of analytes within a size continuum contributes to the complexity of the sample. In industry, manufacturing processes for nanotubes and nanoparticles usually lead to polydisperse samples. In all cases, fractionation prior to analysis proves relevant. For this purpose, in-line techniques such as steric exclusion chromatography or flow-force coupling fractionation, combined with detectors such as UV-Vis, SLS or ICP-MS, can be used. This type of analytical approach is used in many environmental studies, with increasing use being made of FFF-multidetection. Couplings are also widely used in certain sectors, such as polymers or biomedical. Here, steric exclusion chromatography remains the tool of choice. In the field of engineered nanomaterials,...