Overview
CEN ISO/TS 23302:2022 (ISO/TS 23302:2021) is a technical specification for nanotechnologies that defines requirements and recommendations for identifying measurands used to characterize nano‑objects, their agglomerates/aggregates, and materials that contain them. It provides a structured procedure to select measurands and gives measurement recommendations across different sample states (aerosols, powders, liquid dispersions, surfaces) to support consistent characterization and assessment of performance‑relevant properties.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Measurand identification procedure: a systematic approach to decide which measurands are needed for a given nano‑object/material and purpose (e.g., sizing, surface chemistry, state).
- Types of measurands: metrics related to size and shape, surface chemistry, agglomeration/aggregation state, and other properties that affect material performance.
- State‑specific guidance: recommended measurands and measurement approaches tailored to sample forms:
- Aerosols: techniques and considerations for airborne nano‑objects (e.g., cascade impactors, differential mobility analyzers, optical counters, aerodynamic sizing).
- Powders: particle sizing and morphology approaches (e.g., laser diffraction, BET gas adsorption, electron microscopy).
- Liquid dispersions: sizing and fractionation methods (e.g., dynamic light scattering, centrifugal sedimentation, field flow fractionation, particle tracking, single‑particle ICP‑MS).
- Surfaces: microscopy and topography techniques (e.g., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM)).
- Chemical and surface analysis: measurands for elemental and surface chemistry assessment (e.g., X‑ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Auger/ESCA methods referenced).
- Reference to relevant measurement standards: the document points to established measurement standards and best practices for each technique to support reproducibility and comparability.
Applications and users
Who will use ISO/TS 23302:
- Research labs and metrology institutes standardizing nanomaterial characterization workflows.
- Manufacturers and product developers needing consistent measurands for quality control and performance claims.
- Regulatory bodies and safety assessors evaluating health, safety and environmental aspects of nanomaterials.
- Accredited testing laboratories implementing validated measurement strategies across aerosols, powders, liquids and surfaces.
Practical uses:
- Selecting appropriate measurands for material specification and certification.
- Designing testing protocols for product development and regulatory dossiers.
- Harmonizing interlaboratory studies and ensuring data comparability for exposure and risk assessment.
Related standards
ISO/TS 23302 references and aligns with many technique‑specific measurement standards and methods (examples cited in the specification include TEM, SEM, AFM, DLS, BET, laser diffraction, XRD, Raman, SAXS, particle tracking, field flow fractionation, single‑particle ICP‑MS, cascade impactors, differential mobility analysing systems). These related standards support implementation of the recommendations in this technical specification.