On-line sizing of colloidal nanoparticles

On-line Sizing of Colloidal Nanoparticles via Electrospray and Aerosol Techniques... 

In conclusion, although there is plenty of room for improvements in the measurement technique proposed, it does clearly offer promise for on-line sizing of colloidal nanoparticles. 

Aerosol techniques on-line sizing of colloidal nanoparticles, 20-40 ultrafine powder synthesis, 64 Ag particles, synthesis method, 128 Aluminum nitride powder prepared via chemical synthesis, characterization using Fourier-transform IR spectroscopy, 312-332... 

The size distributions of colloidal suspensions of nanoparticles 74 nm to 14 nm in diameter are analyzed on-line. The sols are first diluted in water seeded with enough TFA to attain electrical conductivities in the range of 0.01 S/m. The solution is then finely dispersed into an atmosphere of CO2 via a Taylor cone-jet. The resisting electrospray of ultrafine droplets dries, transferring the solution particles virtually uncontaminated into the gas. There they are sized by means of a differential mobility analyzer and an inertial impactor of unusually high resolution. The technique is first tested successfully with previously calibrated monodisperse polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres 74 to 21 nm in diameter. It is then used to size a solution of colloidal silica with particle diameters nominally between 10 and 14 nm. 

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