A tunable high-pass filter for simple and inexpensive size-segregation of sub-10-nm nanoparticles

Journal article (2017)

Authors

N. C. Surawski The Cyprus Institute
S. Bezantakos The Cyprus Institute
K. Barmpounis The Cyprus Institute, ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage - AS
M. C. Dallaston Imperial College London
A. Schmidt-Ott ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage - AS , The Cyprus Institute
G. Biskos The Cyprus Institute
Research Group
ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage (AS) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2017 N. C. Surawski, S Bezantakos, K. Barmpounis, M. C. Dallaston, A. Schmidt-Ott, G. Biskos
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep45678
More Info
expand_more

Published Date

2017

Language

English

Faculty

Applied Sciences

Department

ChemE/Chemical Engineering

Research Group

ChemE/Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

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 HPEMF 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.