Abstract
Recent advanced in the fields of nanotechnology and atmospheric sciences underline the increasing need for sizing sub-10-nm aerosol particles in a simple yet efficient way. In this article, we develop, experimentally test and model the performance of a High-Pass Electrical Mobility Filter (HP-EMF) that can be used for sizing nanoparticles suspended in gaseous media. Experimental measurements of the penetration of nanoparticles having diameters down to ca 1nm through the HP-EMF are compared with predictions by an analytic, a semi-empirical and a numerical model. The results show that the HP-EMF effectively filters nanoparticles below a threshold diameter with an extremely high level of sizing performance, while it is easier to use compared to existing nanoparticle sizing techniques through design simplifications. What is more, the HP-EMF is an inexpensive and compact tool, making it an enabling technology for a variety of applications ranging from nanomaterial synthesis to distributed monitoring of atmospheric nanoparticles.
Highlights
Techniques[12] have begun to address the cost and weight issues associated with traditional DMAs, the systems required for its operation make it a bulky and complex system to use on a routine basis
A simpler alternative to size-segregate nanoparticles is with an electrostatic precipitator (EP)[14]
Incoming charged nanoparticles of the same polarity as the high-voltage applied to the High-Pass Electrical Mobility Filter (HP-EMF) are initially decelerated (Zone I) and accelerated (Zone III) as they move along the filter
Summary
Performance of the High-Pass Electrical Mobility Filter. Figure 3 shows the penetration of nanoparticles through the HP-EMF as a function of their size. The good agreement between measurements and predictions by this method (i.e. using the analytically determined electric field given by Equation 1 in the analytic penetration model given by Equation 2) indicates that diffusional deposition in the decelerating zone is not an important mechanism in the HP-EMF for the flow rates and nanoparticle sizes investigated here. By reducing the potential applied to the HP-EMF below 500 V, it should be possible to size-segregate ions and atomic clusters that are not amenable to analytical determination with existing aerosol instrumentation Provided that such small clusters/nanoparticles are self-charged or can be efficiently charged (this is a remaining challenge in the field), it should be possible to measure their mobility spectra with the HP-EMF by scanning through a range of potential differences between the inlet/outlet and the intermediate electrode. It should be possible to size or filter molecular clusters with this technique, thereby opening up further scientific and technological opportunities
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