Capabilities of asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled with MALS for the detection of carbon nanotubes in soot and soil

Methods to characterize and quantify multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) from soil samples are still scarcely available to date. Quantification, depending on the used method, may be biased by soot ubiquitously present in soils and sediments. Differentiating between MWCNTs and soot is a big challenge as they are physically and chemically very similar, e.g. in terms of thermal stability or density.

Shape could however be a contrasting parameter for the detection of MWCNTs in pure soot or even soil. Postnova evaluates a shape factor ρ, derived from AF4-MALS measurements, for its capabilities to detect MWCNTs in these matrices.