Zeta potential measurement

Methods Mol Biol. 2011:697:63-70. doi: 10.1007/978-1-60327-198-1_6.

Abstract

This chapter describes a method for the measurement of the electrostatic potential at the electrical double layer surrounding a nanoparticle in solution. This is referred to as the zeta potential. Nanoparticles with a zeta potential between -10 and +10 mV are considered approximately neutral, while nanoparticles with zeta potentials of greater than +30 mV or less than -30 mV are considered strongly cationic and strongly anionic, respectively. Since most cellular membranes are negatively charged, zeta potential can affect a nanoparticle's tendency to permeate membranes, with cationic particles generally displaying more toxicity associated with cell wall disruption. This technique is demonstrated for two types of nanoparticles commonly used in biological applications: colloidal gold (strongly anionic) and amine-terminated PAMAM dendrimer (strongly cationic).

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Anions
  • Cations
  • Colloids / chemistry
  • Dendrimers / chemistry*
  • Electric Conductivity
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Osmolar Concentration
  • Static Electricity
  • Temperature
  • Viscosity
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Anions
  • Cations
  • Colloids
  • Dendrimers
  • PAMAM Starburst
  • Water
  • Gold