Nanoparticle ζ-potential measurements using tunable resistive pulse sensing with variable pressure

James A. Eldridge, Geoff R. Willmott, Will Anderson, Robert Vogel

Modern resistive pulse sensing techniques can be used to measure nanoparticle electrophoretic mobility, and hence ζ-potential. In contrast to conventional light scattering methods, resistive pulse sensing produces particle-by-particle data. We have used tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) to compare methods for measuring the ζ-potential of carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles. The five particle sets studied had nominal surface charge density (σ) between 0 and -0.67Cm(-2), and diameters in the range 160-230nm. Data were collected with pressure in the range ±500Pa applied across a tunable pore. In each experiment, pressure was varied either continuously or in discrete steps. Calculations of the ζ-potential were obtained by analysing both the rate and the full-width half maximum duration of resistive pulses. Data obtained from duration analyses were more reproducible than rate methods, yielding typical variations smaller than ±5mV. When σ was greater (less negative) than -0.32Cm(-2), all of the analysis methods studied yielded a monotonic relationship between ζ-potential and σ. Complicated pulse data were observed near the pressure at which the net particle flux is zero, and these observations have been explored by examining competition between electrokinetic and pressure-driven transport. The typical difference between ζ-potentials obtained using TRPS and phase analysis light scattering was 15% (<5mV), with an experimental error of ∼10% attributable to both techniques.