Electrically Produced Standard Aerosols in a Wide Size Range

Authors: Uin, Janek; Tamm, Eduard; Mirme, Aadu

Source: Aerosol Science and Technology, Volume 43, Number 8, August 2009 , pp. 847-853(7)

Publisher: Taylor and Francis Ltd

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Abstract:

Non-uniformly charged particles cause a major problem in electrical methods for producing standard aerosols, imposing strict limitations on the usability of the obtained standard aerosols. This article gives a quick overview of this problem, examining the ways how differently charged particles affect the generation of standard aerosols, and presenting a new method for producing standard aerosols and avoiding the effects of multiply charged particles, with the key idea that the probability for small particles to have more than one charge is very low. A two-stage aerosol generator is used. Small silver particles (d< 40 nm) generated by homogeneous nucleation of silver vapors obtain in bipolar charger not more than one elementary charge. These condensation nuclei are enlarged by a condensational growth device. Big particles are now also not more than singly charged, and narrow size distribution can be obtained by electrical separation. Properties of standard aerosols produced experimentally by both the conventional and the new method, are compared and the validity of the new idea behind the new method is confirmed.

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Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02786820902980348

Affiliations: 1: Laboratory of Environmental Physics, University of Tartu, Institute of Physics, Tartu, Estonia

Publication date: 2009-08-01

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