Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: The ability to produce nanoscale aerosols from dry powdered material is needed for studies of the toxicity and environmental transformation and fate of manufactured nanoparticles. Wet aerosol generation methods can alter particle chemistry, while dry methods often cannot produce truly nanoscale aerosols. We have developed a cost-effective dry dispersion technique for manufactured nanoparticles and have demonstrated its use with C60 fullerene, TiO2, and CeO2. The system disperses dry powders to create aerosols with mode diameters below 100 nm. Average mode and median diameters for each of the tested manufactured nanoparticles are 91 and 107 nm for C60, 65 and 77 nm for TiO2, and 40 and 43 nm for CeO2. All aerosols exhibit right-skewed unimodal distributions and irregular morphology. Aerosol mass concentrations produced by the dispersion system vary linearly with the mass of nanomaterial loaded into it and are of a magnitude appropriate for inhalation nanotoxicology studies. This work demonstrates the ability of a simple device to produce nanoscale aerosols from powdered engineered nanoparticles. Copyright 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research
Source: Aerosol Science and Technology
Institution: Virginia Tech
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2057518268