Characterization of Nanoparticles by Taylor Dispersion Analysis Hyphenated to Charge Detection Mass Spectrometry

The article establishes a new framework for the multimodal characterization of nanoparticles in the ultrahigh mass range. In this new framework, Taylor dispersion analysis (TDA) is integrated with in‐line optical absorbance spectroscopy and directly coupled to an electrospray ionization (ESI) interface. This configuration enables controlled transfer of analytes to charge detection mass spectrometry (CDMS), providing information about ion charge, mass, and optical properties. This innovative hyphenated setup is described using 60 nm gold nanoparticles, corresponding to a particle mass of ≈1.3 GDa, as a proof of concept. Taylorgrams obtained with analyte temporal diffusion monitoring by UV/vis spectroscopy and by CDMS are discussed in fame with numerical model and point out the associated challenges for size determination.