Control of particle size and uniformity has been a major area of interest especially for particles in the micron size range. ANCON’s Aerosoliser is an excellent general purpose laboratory tool that provides a turnkey solution for experimental setups that require a controlled and stable particle source in wider size ranges from 5nm to 2μm.
The Aerosoliser generates aerosol from powder by concentrating high velocity vibrating jets of clean air at the powder surface, disturbing and separating particles. Vortices are formed by the opposing air flows inside the aerosolisation chamber which act to further separate the aerosol particles. The aerosol is then passed through a gravitational separator where larger particles are removed based on gravitational settling. The gravitational separator also serves to help stabilise the aerosol concentration which can be controlled by adjusting the pressure supplied to the chamber, the flow meter settings and the position of the jet nozzle in relation to the surface of the aerosolising powder.
An on-board pressure gauge and flow meter are included to adjust the output particle concentration and operating flow rate. Long term stability is achieved by automatically descending the nozzle to maintain a constant height to the powder surface, the speed of which is user selectable to achieve optimal operating conditions. A mechanical agitation system sited at the base of the aerosolisation chamber disturbs the bulk powder and assists the air jets in the generation of aerosol.
ANCON has used the Aerosoliser to generate aerosols from a range of different “nanopowders” including: TiO₂, ZnO, nano-diamond, functionalised TiO₂ and ZnO, carbon nanotubes, polystyrene latex spheres and more. The technology has been designed to meet a number of specific customer and market needs including:
General aerosol research
Ecotoxicology
Metrology and instrument calibration
Inhalation and toxicology research
Nano materials manufacturing.
BENEFITS
User adjustable ultra-fine and primary particle concentrations (1nm to 10μm particle size range)
Low sample consumption (operates with as little as 0.5 mg of material)
Focused, high energy input to release particles present in powder sample
Stable aerosol output with generation of high concentrations of aerosol particles in the respirable fraction
Ability to release particles in the nano-range <50nm, including primary nanoparticles
Generation of stable concentrations of aerosol over several hours
Ease of use; including set up, untended operation and cleaning.