Particle Penetration Research Articles

Should Anthropic Ridges Framed as Foredunes Be Considered Real Dunes?

Aeolian features framed as foredunes worldwide, whose classification faces challenges to separate wave-formed from aeolian ridges, are relevant to the context of anthropic control. An example of this kind of morphology, previously classified as foredunes, is arranged along Brazil’s northeastern coast, and the pertinence of its classification as such or even as truly developed dunes was examined. To contribute to the debate on this issue, detailed geomorphological mapping was carried out through UAV and LIDAR surveys, in addition to the multitemporal study of satellite images and aerial photographs. Ground penetration radar sections, trenches, and particle size analysis were also conducted. Although the obliquity of wind direction to the coastline, this study’s main bedform of focus shows coast-parallel positioning conditioned by the exogenous vegetation previously inserted about 70 m from the high tide line. This morphology showed practically no migration for over 15 years; however, the wind breaks through the vegetation barrier and develops depositional lobes and V-shaped low crests protruding into the mainland. GPR sections reveal cross-strata sets with a high dip angle in only two aeolian sequences, one preceding exogenous vegetation introduction and the other in a contemporary layer, amidst the dominance of horizontal to sub-horizontal strata. The sediments are characteristically aeolian, with cross-strata and morphology resembling incipient protodunes and a few stretches at the lee slope highlighting characteristics of retention or precipitation dunes. There was little similarity to the foredunes compared to the other occurrences along the equatorial northeast coast; there was also an inconsistency in the correlation between the cross-strata and the morphological stage. In addition, the disconnection between the aeolian dynamics and morphogenetic process also differentiates it from regional foredunes. This morphology, therefore, presents aspects that are not characteristic of the classification of foredunes or the naturally formed dunes in the region and thus demands a classification to emphasize the anthropogenic character.

Virtual impaction in compressible flows with pressure recovery

Virtual impactors have been utilized towards classifying and increasing aerosol concentrations in sampling and measurement systems for half a century; in an ideal virtual impactor, sampled particles larger than a critical diameter (known as the cutsize) are directed inertially into a small fraction of the sample flow, known as the minor flow. Concentrating submicrometer particles with virtual impactors while maintaining near-atmospheric pressure downstream in the minor flow remains a challenge, due the low mass-to-drag ratios of these particles. Increased inertial behavior for small mass-to-drag ratio particles can be overcome by increasing flow velocities; however, in most prior work with virtual impaction of submicrometer particles, pressure recovery (keeping the aerosol outlet pressure similar to the inlet pressure) in the receiving tube at high sample flow rates was not investigated. Here, we describe the development and testing of virtual impactors functioning with flow velocities near the sonic limit, capable of submicrometer particle concentration, and with near-complete pressure recovery in the minor flow. We specifically designed, built, and tested two round-nozzle virtual impactors (denoted as VI-1 and VI-2) and evaluated their performances using fluorescent polystyrene latex particles and uranine-doped oleic acid particles with varying particle diameter. The results show that both virtual impactors, operating with 12 L per minute sample flow and a 10:1 sample flow-to-minor flow ratio, have submicrometer cutsizes (∼700 nm and 200 nm for VI-1 and VI-2, respectively) and near-complete pressure recovery. However, significant particle losses were observed in VI-2 with larger particle diameters. To understand such losses and particle trajectories in compressible flow virtual impactors, we also carried out computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations coupled with particle trajectory simulations. Importantly, trajectory calculations incorporated a recently developed drag model capable of predicting particle drag coefficients in a wide Mach number and Knudsen number (and hence Reynolds number) range. Trajectory calculations yielded cutsizes and large particle penetration curves in good agreement with experiments, indicating that large particle losses are due to overfocusing (radial inertial motion leading to deposition) within the nozzle and major flow chamber. Overfocusing always leads to an upper size limit in any virtual impactor system, but it is of greater concern in higher velocity systems. In addition to comparing simulations to measurements sampling at atmospheric pressure, we used trajectory calculations to examine compressible flow virtual impactor performance with variable sampling flow pressure and varying the driving pressure in the major flow. Such simulations reveal that sub-atmospheric pressure sampling leads to a reduced penetration “window” for virtual impaction, such that although it is possible for virtual impactor operation in reduced pressure environments, virtual impactors are applicable to a decreasing range of sizes at low pressure.

Research on the distribution law of spatio-temporal permeability screening and adaptation characteristics of banana-type equal-thickness classification of coal gangues

ABSTRACT Screening is an important technological challenge to alleviate environmental contamination and resource waste and enhance the large-scale synthesis of coal gangue solid waste resources. Single inclination vibrating screen for coal gangue grading process can easily cause concentrated accumulation of materials at the infeed end, loosening and stratification difficulties, and deterioration of grading effect. This study replaces a single inclination screen surface with a variable inclination (banana-type) for coal gangues classification and separation. After studying the spatio-temporal permeability distribution characteristics of the screen surface with variable and single inclination, it is found that the integrated optical density (IOD) of gangue on the screen surface with variable inclination is 1.5 times of single inclination, and the gangue under the screen with variable inclination is 2.5 times that of a single inclination. The particle penetration position on the variable inclination’s screen surface is in the middle, while the penetration is significant. Moreover, the screening performance and the whole mismatch content are increased by 2.24 and 1.74% points compared with the single inclination, respectively. At the same time, the distribution size is closer to 6 mm. In addition, the range and screen inclination angle adaptation characteristics are studied. When >6 mm, gangue accounts for 55%, a smaller screen inclination gradient should be selected, such as 3° and 4°, matching the productivity of 18t/h, achieving the best screening performance and processing capacity.

Comparison of the Chemical Characteristics and Toxicity of PM2.5 Collected Using Different Sizes of Cyclones

Cyclone sampling devices have been helpful in assessing the toxic effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The particle collection efficiency of sampling devices is critical. This study investigated the effect of cyclone size on particle size, chemical composition, and particle toxicity. Three cyclones with different inner diameters (12–68 mm) were tested for penetration using an aerodynamic particle sizer, fluorescent polystyrene latex, and a differential mobility analyzer. The elemental and water-soluble ion compositions of the particles collected by different cyclones were compared. An evaluation of the particles’ toxicity was conducted by comparing the results of dithiothreitol (DTT), limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), and cell exposure assays. The experimental evaluation showed a 50% cut-size of the cyclones between 0.17–0.28, 0.34–0.36, and 0.70 μm for the small, medium, and large cyclones, respectively. To collect PM2.5 and evaluate separation performance in the real environment, the small and large cyclones were selected according to the particle penetration and flow rate. A comparison of chemical composition and enrichment factor values found that the particles in the small cyclone samples contained smaller and more anthropogenic sources than those in the large cyclone samples. The oxidative potential (OP) measured by the DTT assay of the samples collected using the small and large cyclones differed across sampling periods and associated with the transition metals. The viability of human epithelial A549 cells after exposure to the collected particles using the cyclones was different across sampling periods and associated with OP. The endotoxin concentrations measured in the LAL assay were found only in the large cyclone samples; they affected the estimated level of cytokine based on IL(interleukin)-6 release from human leukemia monocytic (THP-1) cells derived macro-phage-like cells. Regardless of the size, the cyclone techniques used in this study to collect aerosol particles would be a powerful tool for a detailed evaluation of particle toxicity.

Generalized and efficient wall boundary condition treatment in GPU-accelerated smoothed particle hydrodynamics

This paper presents a generalized and efficient wall boundary treatment in the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method for 3-D complex and arbitrary geometries with single- and multi-phase flows to be executed on graphics processing units (GPUs). Using a force balance between the wall and fluid particles with a novel penalty method, a pressure boundary condition is applied on the wall dummy particles which effectively prevents non-physical particle penetration into the wall also in highly violent impacts and multi-phase flows with high density ratios. A new density reinitialization scheme is also presented to enhance the accuracy and robustness. The proposed method is simple in comparison with previous wall boundary formulations on GPUs and enforces no additional memory caching and thus is well suited for massively parallel architecture of GPUs. The method is validated in various test cases involving inviscid violent single- and multi-phase flows, demonstrating very good robustness, accuracy and performance. The new wall boundary treatment is able to improve the high accuracy of its previous version by Adami et al. [1] also in 3-D and multi-phase problems, while it is efficiently executable on GPUs. Therefore, the method can be a reliable solution for the long-lasting wall boundary condition challenge in SPH for a broad range of problems.

Kinetic regularities of the formation of composite electrolytic coatings containing ultradispersed diamond particles

The paper formulates the problem of joint electrolytic co-deposition of metal ions and ultradispersed diamond particles into a metal matrix. It presents the developed mathematical model that describes the mechanism and kinetics of the cathode process, mass transfer of metal ions and ultradispersed diamond particles. A satisfactory correlation with experimental data was obtained. The contribution of the thermal action of laser radiation to the intensification of the process of co-deposition of dispersed particles and metal ions was determined. It was found that the more intense penetration of dispersed phase particles into the forming coating during the laser stimulation of the electrodeposition process is due to the presence of a temperature gradient, which provides an additional supply of metal ions in the irradiation region. Based on the theoretical and experimental studies, we established the regularities of the influence of the number and size of nanoparticles on the strengthening properties of composite metal coatings. It was found that an increase in the temperature of an aqueous electrolyte solution in the cathode region during a laser-stimulated deposition process leads to an increase in the flux density of ultradispersed diamond particles, and, as a result, to an increase in the concentration of the dispersed phase in nickel composite coatings, which contributes to the formation of a finer crystalline structure of coatings, an improvement in adhesion, strength properties and increased wear resistance of coatings.

Correcting for filter-based aerosol light absorption biases at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's Southern Great Plains site using photoacoustic measurements and machine learning

Abstract. Measurement of light absorption of solar radiation by aerosols is vital for assessing direct aerosol radiative forcing, which affects local and global climate. Low-cost and easy-to-operate filter-based instruments, such as the Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP), that collect aerosols on a filter and measure light attenuation through the filter are widely used to infer aerosol light absorption. However, filter-based absorption measurements are subject to artifacts that are difficult to quantify. These artifacts are associated with the presence of the filter medium and the complex interactions between the filter fibers and accumulated aerosols. Various correction algorithms have been introduced to correct for the filter-based absorption coefficient measurements toward predicting the particle-phase absorption coefficient (Babs). However, the inability of these algorithms to incorporate into their formulations the complex matrix of influencing parameters such as particle asymmetry parameter, particle size, and particle penetration depth results in prediction of particle-phase absorption coefficients with relatively low accuracy. The analytical forms of corrections also suffer from a lack of universal applicability: different corrections are required for rural and urban sites across the world. In this study, we analyzed and compared 3 months of high-time-resolution ambient aerosol absorption data collected synchronously using a three-wavelength photoacoustic absorption spectrometer (PASS) and PSAP. Both instruments were operated on the same sampling inlet at the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program's Southern Great Plains (SGP) user facility in Oklahoma. We implemented the two most commonly used analytical correction algorithms, namely, Virkkula (2010) and the average of Virkkula (2010) and Ogren (2010)–Bond et al. (1999) as well as a random forest regression (RFR) machine learning algorithm to predict Babs values from the PSAP's filter-based measurements. The predicted Babs was compared against the reference Babs measured by the PASS. The RFR algorithm performed the best by yielding the lowest root mean square error of prediction. The algorithm was trained using input datasets from the PSAP (transmission and uncorrected absorption coefficient), a co-located nephelometer (scattering coefficients), and the Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (mass concentration of non-refractory aerosol particles). A revised form of the Virkkula (2010) algorithm suitable for the SGP site has been proposed; however, its performance yields approximately 2-fold errors when compared to the RFR algorithm. To generalize the accuracy and applicability of our proposed RFR algorithm, we trained and tested it on a dataset of laboratory measurements of combustion aerosols. Input variables to the algorithm included the aerosol number size distribution from the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer, absorption coefficients from the filter-based Tricolor Absorption Photometer, and scattering coefficients from a multiwavelength nephelometer. The RFR algorithm predicted Babs values within 5 % of the reference Babs measured by the multiwavelength PASS during the laboratory experiments. Thus, we show that machine learning approaches offer a promising path to correct for biases in long-term filter-based absorption datasets and accurately quantify their variability and trends needed for robust radiative forcing determination.

Penetration Efficiency and Concentration Distribution of Nanoparticles in a Hollow Tapered Cylinder

Knowing particle penetration efficiencies and concentration distributions in an inlet channel of a sampling device is beneficial for the robust assessment, attribution and quantification of nanoparticles produced by various activities. The aim of this research is to evaluate the effect of the presence or absence of a conical column inside a hollow tapered cylinder on the nanoparticle penetration efficiency and its outlet concentration profile for different flow rates. The particle penetration characteristics of various sizes from 3 nm to 20 nm were numerically investigated by using the flow field and convection diffusion equations within the hollow tapered cylinder. Firstly, the proposed model of the nanoparticle penetration efficiency for the hollow tapered cylinder with the conical column is validated with the experimental data in the literature. Then, the results indicate that the concentration at the outlet of the hollow tapered cylinder with the conical column exhibits annular profiles for 3 nm and 5 nm nanoparticles at a flow rate of 2.0 L/min, which is found to avoid centralizing the particles in the exit area. In addition, the penetration efficiency of nanoparticles can be improved by increasing flow rates or removing the conical column inside the hollow tapered cylinder. Finally, the ring-shaped concentration profile of the 10 nm nanoparticles at the outlet of the hollow conical cylinder with the conical column becomes more obvious as the flow rate decreases. This study interprets and quantitatively decides the nanoparticle penetration efficiency and its exit concentration profile for the hollow tapered cylinder with or without the conical column. Therefore, the results can provide some useful design references for the transport of nanoparticles in the hollow tapered cylinder.

Carbon black incorporated electrospun nanofibers for air filtration application

Electrostatic filter media were developed by incorporating various concentrations of Carbon Black (8, 10 and 12 wt%) on Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) through electrospinning. The prepared nanofibers were characterized for their morphology, phase transformation, wettability, thermal and predominantly electrostatic properties. Three filtration efficiency parameters such as concentration of CB (wt%), electrospinning time (hr) and areal density of substrate (GSM) were fed in Box Behnken design to obtain 15 experimental STATs. The experiments were performed with NaCl solution as the aerosols in the range of 0.1–1 μm and filtration efficiency as the response. Further, other filter media properties such as pore size, air permeability, pressure drop and thickness are investigated. STAT 12 resulted in the highest filtration efficiency of 99.99% with 12 wt% of CB, 3 h of electrospinning time and 60 GSM of substrate. The prepared filter also shows a maximum filtration efficiency of 99.98% at the most penetrating particle size (MPPS), 0.3 μm. The present research thus opens a pathway for hybrid mechanisms of separation improving filtration efficiency in addition to pre-existing mechanisms.

Hydrogen production from ammonia decomposition over Ru-rich surface on La2O2CO3-Al2O3 catalyst beads

Three ruthenium-supported catalyst beads (Ru/Al2O3, Ru/La2O3-Al2O3 and Ru/La2O2CO3-Al2O3) were synthesized and tested for ammonia decomposition. The catalytic activity of the Ru/La2O2CO3-Al2O3 beads was significantly higher than that of the Ru/Al2O3 and Ru/La2O3-Al2O3 beads. This was primarily attributed to the addition of La, which encouraged electron donation from the bead surface to the Ru particles, increasing the rate of N2 desorption. In particular, a higher Ru surface concentration was achieved over the boundary layer of La2O2CO3 compared with La2O3. This is thought to be a result of steric hindrance, with the crystalline surface of La2O2CO3 acting as a structural stabilizer to significantly limit the penetration of Ru particles into the catalyst bead core. SEM-EDS line scanning of transverse sections of the catalyst beads confirmed a higher Ru concentration on the surface of the catalyst beads for Ru/La2O2CO3-Al2O3 compared with Ru/La2O3-Al2O3 and Ru/Al2O3. In fact, the ratio of surface/bulk Ru concentration in Ru/La2O2CO3-Al2O3 was more than twice that of Ru/Al2O3 at equal Ru loadings. The favorable properties of an La2O2CO3 surface-coating can benefit industrial catalyst synthesis, increasing the surface metal concentration compared with traditional La-based Al2O3 beads and pellets.

Filter evaluation and selection for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Particle size removal efficiencies for 0.1–1.0 μm (PSE0.1−1.0) and 0.3–1.0 μm (PSE0.3−1.0) diameter of Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) filters, an electrostatic enhanced air filter (EEAF), and their two‐stage filtration systems were evaluated. Considering the most penetrating particle size was 0.1–0.4 μm particulate matter (PM), the PSE0.1−1.0 as an evaluation parameter deserves more attention during the COVID‐19 pandemic, compared to the PSE0.3−1.0. The MERV 13 filters were recommended for a single‐stage filtration system because of their superior quality factor (QF) compared to MERV 6, MERV 8, MERV 11 filters, and the EEAF. Combined MERV 8 + MERV 11 filters have the highest QF compared to MERV 6 + MERV 11 filters and EEAF + MERV 11 filters; regarding 50% of PSE0.1−1.0 as the filtration requirements of two‐stage filtration systems, the MERV 8 + MERV 11 filtration system can achieve this value at 1.0 m/s air velocity, while PSE0.1−1.0 values were lower than 50% at 1.5 m/s and 2.0 m/s. EEAF obtained a better PSE0.3−1.0 in the full‐recirculated test rig than in the single‐pass mode owing to active ionization effects when EEAF was charged by alternating current.

Alumina separation layer with uniform pore size applied on a support with broad pore size distribution

Coal fly ash (CFA) is a promising substitute material in ceramic membrane fabrication to address the high membrane cost issue. However, supports prepared with CFA usually have wide pore size distributions, leading to difficulties in fabricating separation layers. This study focused on overcoming the selectivity-permeability trade-off of membranes based on the CFA support. Five different sizes of alumina powders were adopted to optimize the particle size for separation layer preparation. The membrane prepared using the powder with mean particle size of 1.11 μm under 1150 °C sintering had the best comprehensive performance. The mean pore size was 161 nm and the permeability was 879.71 L/(m2∙h∙bar). Membranes with smaller coating particles had defects because of the particle penetration while membranes with larger particles showed little pore size difference with the support. This work offers opportunities to broaden the application of low-cost CFA membranes.

Effect of UV-C germicidal irradiation (UVGI) on the structural integrity of N95 and KN95 respirators

This study focuses on reprocessing a group of filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI). The aim is to explore the possibility of disinfecting selected KN95 FFRs, in comparison with the N95 FFRs, and assess their viability for reusage. For this purpose, five models of unused N95 and KN95 FFR models obtained from the hospital were exposed to UV-C light using a customized UVGI chamber. The material integrity of treated FFRs was examined in terms of particle penetration and strap tension. The surface morphology of all models is inspected to determine the visible changes of each FFR upon exposure to 1–100 cycles (1 cycle is equivalent to 1 J/cm2 UV dose). The penetration test results indicate that the physical properties of the KN95 and N95 FFRs remain within permissible limits despite being reprocessed by up to 100 cycles (100 J/cm2). Using a microscope, the physical observations also reveal that no visible damage can be seen even after 100 J/cm2 exposure. Apart from the filter bodies, the tension of each strap was also found to not be significantly affected by UV radiation by at least 10 disinfection cycles (10 J/cm2). This confirms that KN95, as well as N95 FFRs, can be subjected to UV treatment as a means of disinfection.

Роль дефензинів у неспецифічному захисті макроорганізму від інфекційних агентів при запальних захворюваннях порожнини рота і ротоглотки (огляд літератури)

The purpose of the study was to analyze literature sources containing information about defensins, cysteine-rich cationic amphipathic peptides produced by circulating white blood cells and tissue cells. This review describes the antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of defensins, as well as their molecular and cellular interactions. These substances, which are present on the epithelium and body fluids, are active against bacteria, fungi and viruses, as well as produced by immune and epithelial cells. These natural antimicrobial cationic peptides play an important role in innate and adaptive immunity. Defensins are divided into alpha and beta families. Alpha-defensins (α-defensins) are found in neutrophils, macrophages and Paneth cells in the intestine. Beta-defensins (β-defensins) are secreted by most leukocytes and epithelial cells. Extensive antimicrobial activity and multifaceted immunomodulatory functions of defensins confirm their role in innate immunity as the main protective component of the human body against bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Thus, they are key effector molecules in protecting the organism from infection due to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. Their common antimicrobial function is the formation of destructive pores in the membranes of pathogens, including enveloped viruses. Antiviral activity includes the direct effect of defensin on viral envelopes, glycoproteins and capsids. Binding and modulation of host cell surface receptors and disruption of intracellular signaling by defensins may also inhibit virus replication. These peptides block infection with enveloped and non-enveloped viruses by aggregating particles, blocking receptor binding, inhibiting virus penetration or depletion of particles, inhibiting stem cell signaling, or viral gene expression. In addition, defensins may function as chemokines to enhance and alter adaptive immune responses by exhibiting an indirect antiviral mechanism. Conclusion. However, sources of scientific information have shown that defensins attract immune cells and modulate adaptive immune responses. It has also been shown that defensins can both induce inflammation and suppress inflammatory responses by acting on certain cells through various mechanisms. Due to this, they can be used as one of the markers in the development of inflammatory diseases of the mouth and oropharynx. The main drugs that activate the production of defensins are probiotics, vitamin D and leukotriene B4. This expands the possibility of their use as a new class of non-toxic antimicrobials and immunomodulators

Effect of ultrasound amplitude and frequency on nanoparticle diffusion in an agarose hydrogel

Exposure of nanoparticles in a porous medium, such as a hydrogel, to low-intensity ultrasound has been observed to dramatically enhance particle penetration rate. Enhancement of nanoparticle penetration is a key issue affecting applications such as biofilm mitigation and targeted drug delivery in human tissue. The current study used fluorescent imaging to obtain detailed experimental measurements of the effect of ultrasound amplitude and frequency on diffusion of nanoparticles of different diameters in an agarose hydrogel, which is often used as a simulant for biofilms and biological tissues. We demonstrate that the acoustic enhancement occurs via the phenomenon of oscillatory diffusion, in which a combination of an oscillatory flow together with random hindering of the particles by interaction with hydrogel proteins induces a stochastic random walk of the particles. The measured variation of acoustic diffusion coefficients with amplitude and frequency were used to validate a previous statistical theory of oscillatory diffusion based on the continuous time random walk approach.

Defined positive charge patterns created on DNA nanostructures determine cellular uptake efficiency.

We provide an effective method to create DNA nanostructures below 100 nm with defined charge patterns and explore whether the density and location of charges affect the cellular uptake efficiency of nanoparticles (NPs). To avoid spontaneous charge neutralization, the negatively charged polymer nanopatterns were first created by in situ polymerization using photoresponsive monomers on DNA origami. Subsequent irradiation generated positive charges on the immobilized polymers, achieving precise positively charged patterns on the negatively charged DNA surface. Via this method, we have discovered that the positive charges located on the edges of nanostructures facilitate more efficient cellular uptake in comparison to the central counterparts. In addition, the high-density positive charge decoration could also enhance particle penetration into 3D multicellular spheroids. This strategy paves a new way to construct elaborate charge-separated substructures on NP surfaces and holds great promise for a deeper understanding of the influence between the surface charge distribution and nano-bio interactions.

Wear Resistance, Patterns of Wear and Plastic Properties of Cr,Mo-(Cr,Mo,)N-(Cr,Mo,Al)N Composite Coating with a Nanolayer Structure

This paper discusses the results of studies focused on the wear resistance, patterns of wear and plastic properties of Cr,Mo-(Cr,Mo,)N-(Cr,Mo,Al)N coating, containing 20 at.% Mo. The coating had a nanolayer structure with a modulation period λ = 50 nm. The studies revealed the hardness, fracture resistance in scratch testing, as well as elemental and phase composition of the coating. The studies of the tool life of carbide cutting tools with the Cr,Mo-(Cr,Mo,)N-(Cr,Mo,Al)N coating proved their longer tool life compared to that of uncoated tools and tools with the reference Cr-(Cr,Al)N coating of equal thickness and equal content of aluminum (Al). The studies included the comparison of the tools coated with Cr,Mo-(Cr,Mo,)N-(Cr,Mo,Al)N and Cr-(Cr,Al)N. The experiments focused on the specific features of the coating nanostructure and were conducted using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), revealing the different mechanisms of fracture. The penetration of particles of the material being machined between nanolayers of the coating results in interlayer delamination. When exposed to a moving flow of the material being machined, plastic deformation (bending) of the coating nanolayers occurs. The diffusion of iron into the coating (up to 200 nm) and diffusion of Cr and Mo into the cut material to a depth of up to 250 nm are observed. The presented information can help in the design of metal cutting tools and the choice of coatings for them.

A filter-based system mimicking the particle deposition and penetration in human respiratory system for secondhand smoke generation and characterization

Introduction Secondhand smoke endangers both the environment and the health of nonsmokers. Due to the scarcity of repeatable data generated by human subjects, a system capable of generating representative secondhand smoke is essential for studying smoke properties. This work presents the design and validation of a filter-based system that could mimic the particle deposition and penetration in human respiratory system for secondhand smoke generation and characterization. Methods Guided by our study on characterizing size-dependent filtration efficiency of common materials, we identified three filter media that generate similar particle deposition efficiencies compared to different regions of the human respiratory system over a wide submicron size range. We demonstrated the performance of the proposed filter-based system using various operating conditions. Additionally, we compared the properties of secondhand smoke particles to those of primary smoke particles. Results The difference in aerosol deposition efficiencies between the filter-based system and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) model was less than 10% in the size range of 30 to 500 nm. High concentrations of metals were detected in the secondhand smoke. The contents of Ni and Cr generated from the secondhand electronic cigarettes are at least 20 and 5 times above the regulated daily maximum intake amount. Conclusion Given the agreement in aerosol respiratory deposition between the filter-based system and the ICRP model, such a system can facilitate laboratory studies of secondhand smoke due to its simple structure, high repeatability, and ease of control while remaining free of human subjects.

Removal of Size-Dependent Submicron Particles Using Metal-Organic Framework-Based Nanofiber Air Filters.

Particulate matter poses a serious threat to human health. In particular, exposure to submicron particles can result in more severe health effects as they can deposit more deeply into human tissues. Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based nanofiber filters are regarded as promising candidates for efficient particle control. In this study, ZIF-8@PAN nanofiber filters that were developed via an in situ growth strategy were selected for the filtration of submicron particles. The addition of ZIF-8 more effectively enhanced the filtration of particles with smaller sizes. For the most penetrating particle size of around 0.3 μm, the MOF-based nanofiber filter exhibited an 8.9% increase in filtration efficiency compared with that of the pure nanofiber filter. Meanwhile, for particles with large aerodynamic diameters (in the range of 0.7-1 μm, for example), the role of ZIF-8 was negligible. This work provides important insights into the filtration performance of MOF-based nanofiber filters in capturing submicron particles and may aid in designing nanofiber filters for efficient control of particles.

Can 10× cheaper, lower-efficiency particulate air filters and box fans complement High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) purifiers to help control the COVID-19 pandemic?

Public health departments such as CDC and California Department of Public Health (CA-DPH) advise HEPA-purifiers to limit transmission of SARS-CoV-2 indoor spaces. CA-DPH recommends air exchanges per hour (ACH) of 4–6 air for rooms with marginal ventilation and 6–12 in classrooms often necessitating multiple HEPA-purifiers per room, unaffordable in under-resourced community settings. Pressure to seek cheap, rapid air filtration resulted in proliferation of lower-cost, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) air purifiers whose performance is not well characterized compared to HEPA-purifiers. Primary metrics are clean air delivery rate (CADR), noise generated (dBA), and affordability ($$). CADR measurement often requires hard-to-replicate laboratory experiments with generated aerosols. We use simplified, low-cost measurement tools of ambient aerosols enabling scalable evaluation of aerosol filtration efficiencies (0.3 to 10 μm), estimated CADR, and noise generation to compare 3 HEPA-purifiers and 9 DIY purifier designs. DIY purifiers consist of one or two box fans coupled to single MERV 13–16 filters (1″–5″ thick) or quad filters in a cube. Accounting for reduced filtration efficiency of MERV 13–16 filters (versus HEPA) at the most penetrating particle size of 0.3 μm, estimated CADR of DIY purifiers using 2″ (67%), 4″ (66%), and 5″ (85%) filters at lowest fan speed was 293 cfm ($35), 322 cfm ($58), and 405 cfm ($120) comparable to best-in-class, low-noise generating HEPA-purifier running at maximum speed with at 282 cfm ($549). Quad filter designs, popularly known Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, achieved gains in estimated CADR below 80% over single filter designs, less than the 100% gain by adding a second DIY purifier. Replacing one of the four filters with a second fan resulted in gains of 125%–150% in estimated CADR. Tested DIY alternatives using lower-efficiency, single filters compare favorably to tested HEPA-purifiers in estimated CADR, noise generated at five to ten times lower cost, enabling cheap, rapid aerosol removal indoors.