Physical characteristics of nanoparticles emitted from incense smoke

Incense is habitually burned in various religious settings ranging from the Eastern temples to the Western churches and in residential homes of their devotees, representing one of the most significant sources of combustion-derived particulate matter in indoor air. Incense smoke has been known to be associated with adverse health effects, which could be due to the release of the submicron-sized particles, including ultrafine and nanoparticles. However, there is currently a lack of information available in the literature on the emission rates of particles from incense smoke in terms of their particle number, a metric generally regarded as a better indicator of health risks rather than the particle mass. In this study, real-time characterization of the size distribution and number concentration of sub-micrometer-sized particles (5.6–560 nm) emitted from incense smoke was made, for the first time, for four different brands of sandalwood and aloeswood incense sticks commonly used by different religious groups. In addition, the respective emission rates were determined on hourly and mass basis based on mass balance equations. The measurements showed that the particle emission rates ranged from 5.10 × 10¹² to 1.42 × 10¹³ h^–1 or 3.66 × 10¹² to 1.23 × 10¹³ g^–1 and that the peak diameters varied from 93.1 to 143.3 nm. Airborne particles in the nanometer range (5.6–50 nm), in the ultrafine range (50–100 nm) and in the accumulation mode range (100–560 nm) accounted for 1% to 6%, 16% to 55% and 40% to 60% of the total particle counts, respectively, depending on the brand of incense sticks. To assess the potential health threat due to inhalation of particles released from incense burning, the number of particles of different sizes that can be possibly deposited in the respiratory tract were evaluated for an exposed individual based on known deposition fractions in the literature. The findings indicate that incense smoke may pose adverse health effects depending on exposure duration and intensity.     

Simultaneous control of size and surface functionality of silica particle via growing method

Although silane treatment has been studied as a simple and powerful tool to modify the surface of silica particle, there are still several difficulties in terms of controlling surface functionality and size of nanoparticles. Here we develop a growing method to overcome above drawback. The method was processed by continuously injecting precursor using syringe pump. According to the continuous injection, the concentration of precursors in media are properly controlled, and then the continuous injection of precursor promotes the growth of silica particles. When the functional silanes (silane coupling agents) are used, the method can control the amount of surficial functional groups on the silica particle, and can adjust diameter of the particle simultaneously. Furthermore, well-controlled functional silica particles made by growing method are used for catalytic reaction, Knoevenagel reaction, as a solid state catalyst.     

颗粒尺寸及温度对羰基铁粉磁化性能的影响

为了揭示颗粒尺寸及温度对羰基铁粉磁化性能的影响规律,利用振动样品磁场计分别测试了两种不同粒径羰基铁粉在室温条件下的磁化特性曲线,并以粒径为7μm的颗粒为对象,研究了温度对其磁化性能的影响。结果表明,粒径较大的颗粒具有更为优良的磁化性能,相同磁场作用下,其磁化强度较大而矫顽力却较小;温度升高将导致颗粒达到相同磁化强度所需磁场强度减小且对应磁化强度值降低,并且这种影响随温度的升高而逐渐加剧;当长期处于高温下工作后,由于表面氧化层的形成,颗粒磁性将会出现较大程度的减弱。     

高分子量PAN的粒径分布与均匀度关系的考察

对高性能碳纤维原丝性能有重要影响的聚合物粒径均匀度问题目前尚未有人研究过。本研究率先采用沉淀聚合合成高分子量PAN,根据其微观形貌,应用第四统计力学群子统计参数理论研究了聚合物的粒径分布与粒径均匀度的关系,表明粒径均匀度与混合溶剂无关,而与混合溶剂的配比有关,DMSO含量越少,粒径分布越均匀。     

铁粉纯度和粒径对磷化铁粉软磁复合材料磁性能的影响

研究了铁粉纯度和粒径对磷化铁粉软磁复合材料磁性能的影响。结果表明,铁粉经磷化后,表面成功包覆了完整均匀的磷酸盐绝缘层。铁粉纯度提高,软磁复合材料磁芯的密度和磁导率增大,同时磁滞损耗降低。铁粉粒度增大,磁芯密度和磁导率增加,中高频率下磁损耗明显增加,且频率越高越明显。     

Determination of particle size distributions and the degree of dispersion in nanocomposites

Objective of this study was the investigation of measurement techniques to determine the quality of the dispersion process of nanoparticles in polymer composites. In order to prepare the matrix suspension, alumina nanoparticles were dispersed applying shear mixing techniques in a high performance laboratory kneader. The product quality in liquid state was determined by means of dynamic light scattering (DLS) and centrifugal sedimentation analysis (CSA). However, particle measurements in carrier fluids like epoxy resin are complex and challenging. Measuring values like particle size distribution and grade of homogeneousness are strongly influenced by the sample preparation and adjustments of the measuring device. Within this study the machine settings and the formulation was analysed systematically. Hereby an identification of the key parameters and an optimisation of the measuring process were possible. Additionally, the composite was cured and analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally all measuring techniques were evaluated and compared among each other. Thus, DLS is the fastest method to measure spherically particles in the liquid matrix, CSA allows a certain deviation from the spherical shape and SEM gives a qualitative impression of the final particle size in cured composite condition.     

Effects of adsorbent dose, its particle size and initial arsenic concentration on the removal of arsenic, iron and manganese from simulated ground water by Fe3+ impregnated activated carbon

This paper presents the observations of the study on arsenic removal from a contaminated ground water (simulated) by adsorption onto Fe³⁺ impregnated granular activated carbon (GAC-Fe). Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ have also been considered along with arsenic species in the water sample. Similar study has also been done with untreated granular activated carbon (GAC) for comparison. The effects of adsorbent dose, particle size of adsorbent and initial arsenic concentration on the removal of As(T), As(III), As(V), Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺ have been discussed. Under the experimental conditions, the optimum adsorbent doses for GAC-Fe and GAC have been found to be 8 g/l and 24 g/l, respectively with an agitation time of 15 h. Particle size of the adsorbents (both GAC and GAC-Fe) has shown negligible effect on the removal of arsenic and Fe species. However, for Mn removal the effect of adsorbent particle size is comparatively more. Percentage removal of As(T), As(V) and As(III) increase with the decrease in initial arsenic concentration (As₀). However, the increase in percentage removal of all the arsenic species with decrease in As₀ are less for higher value of As₀ (3000–500 ppb) than those of the lower value of As₀ (500–10 ppb). The % removal of As(T), As(III), As(V), Fe, and Mn were 95%, 92.4%, 97.6%, 99% and 41.2%, respectively when 8 g/l GAC-Fe was used at the As₀ value of 200 ppb. However, for GAC these values were 55.5%, 44%, 71%, 98% and 97%. The pH and temperature of the study were 7 ± 0.1 and 30 ± 1 °C, respectively.     

CaCO3粉体气流粉碎/静电分散粒径分布规律研究

气流粉碎是近年来发展起来的一种新型微纳米粉体制备技术,然而采用该方法制备的粉体在一定程度上会自发团聚形成团聚体。将静电分散与气流粉碎相结合,研究了不同粒径的原始粉料经气流粉碎/静电分散方法处理后的粒径分布以及粒径随时间的变化关系,得到了气流粉碎/静电分散中荷电电压对所制备粉体粒径分布的影响规律和颗粒荷电分散的时效性,结果表明荷电电压越高粉体分散性越好,经J/E处理后粉体粒径随时间变化关系满足d=Aet/B+d0。     

Influence of controlled particle size on pore size distribution and mechanical resistance of agarose beads for bioadsorption application

ABSTRACT

In this work the influence of fabrication conditions (ion strength, surfactant utilization) on the macro- (particle size distribution, PSD) and microscopic [pore size distribution (PoSD), specific surface area] structure of agarose beads was investigated. The main purpose was achieving uniform sized and porous beads with improved mechanical strength for bioseparation and chromatography applications. Therefore, PSD, PoSD, mechanical resistance, and flux through packed bed of the fabricated beads (4, 6, and 8% wt/wt) were analyzed. Based on porosimetry results, it was found that increasing ion concentration or presence of surfactant (the key variable for narrowing PSD) decreases the span value of PSD (p-value <0.05); thus, leading to a more uniform distribution. Moreover, as a result of controlling PSD, the PoSD changes from micro- to meso- and macropores in higher ion charged solutions. Furthermore, the obtained PoSD affects mechanical resistance of the prepared microspheres either as single beads or packed in a column. Mesoporous 6%-agarose beads showed the highest flux due to elevated mechanical resistance and elastic characteristic. Mesoporous 4%-beads showed the highest elasticity, and thus lower flux through column. These results demonstrate that manipulation of both macro- and microscopic characteristics of the beads should be commensurate with the intended application i.e., bioadsorption chromatography.     

Effect of particle size distribution on pile tip resistance in calcareous sand in the geotechnical centrifuge

Until recently, the micro mechanical origins of soil behaviour have remained illusive, but it is now known that that the constitutive behaviour of a soil is largely determined by its particle size distribution. This paper examines the specific boundary problem associated with the penetration of a model pile into two different gradings of dry calcareous sand in a geotechnical centrifuge, in order to establish the effect of the inclusion of fine particles on the pile end bearing resistance. The first grading of sand comprised particles smaller than 0.5 mm; the second grading contained particles of nominal size d such that 0.15 mm < d < 0.5 mm. Each test was performed on each of two samples of each grading. Tip resistance was observed to rise to a peak at shallow depths, and then fall; a micro mechanical explanation is presented for this instability. Following the centrifuge tests, particles were retrieved from the centres of the soil samples, where the pile had previously been driven, for subsequent particle size analysis. It was found that insignificant crushing had occurred in the sand retrieved from depths less than the depth of peak resistance, but that significant crushing had occurred in the sand retrieved from greater depths. The peak in tip resistance was a factor of two larger for the well-graded sand, but the ultimate tip resistance at greater depths was found to be approximately independent of the initial particle size distribution for all four tests. A micro mechanical explanation is also proposed for this observation. Received: 11 November 1999     

Predicting breakage behavior and particle size of bronze and cast iron machining chips pulverized by jet milling

It has been proposed that the breakage behavior of particulate materials can be described by two material parameters f_mat and W_min. f_mat describes the resistance of the material to fracture in impact pulverization and W_min characterizes the specific energy which a particle can absorb without fracture. It is shown in this study that this concept can be used to quantify breakage behavior of bronze and cast iron chips in jet milling process and also to predict particle size of the jet milled product. Different tin bronze and cast iron chips with varying initial size were pulverized in a target plate jet mill with different velocity. f_mat was found to be in the range of 0.06–0.09 and 0.18–0.25 for bronze and cast iron alloys, respectively. For the cast iron alloys f_mat increased with increasing content of carbon and silicon. Similarly, for the bronze alloys, f_mat increased with increasing tin content. An equation was developed to predict mean particle size of the jet milled chips as a function of the kinetic energy, initial chip size and material parameters. The experimental results of various alloys confirmed that the mean particle size after single and multiple impacts were accurately predicted.     

Scaling of energy dissipation in crushing and fragmentation: a fractal and statistical analysis based on particle size distribution

An extensive experimental investigation on concrete specimens under crushing and fragmentation over a large scale range (1:10) – exploring even very small specimen dimensions (1 cm) – was carried out to evaluate the influence of fragment size distribution on energy density dissipation and related size effect. To obtain a statistically significant fragment production as well as the total energy dissipated in a given specimen, the experimental procedure was unusually carried out up to a strain of approximately –95%, practically corresponding to the initial fragment compaction between the loading platens. The experimental fragment analysis suggests a fractal law for the distribution in particle size; this simply means that fragments derived from a given specimen appear geometrically self-similar at each observation scale. In addition, clear size effects on dissipated energy density are experimentally observed. Fractal concepts permit to quantify the correlation between fragment size distribution and size effect on dissipated energy density, the latter being governed by the total surface area of produced fragments. The experimental results agree with the proposed multi-scale interpretation satisfactorily.     

Surface area, pore size distribution and microstructure of vacuum getter

An effective getter is necessary in vacuum technology. In order to obtain the adsorption mechanism of the getter, its microstructure information must be studied. Surface area, pore size distribution and microstructure of vacuum getter were studied with XRD, SEM and N₂ adsorption technique.Vacuum getter is composed of the different proportions of PdO and Ag₂O. The crystalline size of 3^# vacuum getter that includes W₂AgO = 22% and W_PdO = 78% is the maximum among all the vacuum getters. SEM images showed that vacuum getters expose a large number of nanometer-size pores. The adsorption isotherms of the vacuum getters are typical of type Ⅳ, characteristic of mesoporous material, and a type H₂ hysteresis loop is observed. Langmuir model describes N₂ adsorption at low pressure region. At the medium pressure, N₂ adsorption can be modeled by BET model. The pore size distributions of the vacuum getters are calculated by applying BJH method to the adsorption branch of N₂ isotherms at 77 K. With percentage of Ag₂O elevation, Langmuir surface area, BET specific surface area, the adsorption capacity and the pore volume become larger. But the average pore diameter becomes smaller. However, above Ag₂O content of 22%, an inverse behavior is observed. 3^# vacuum getter has the highest surface area and pore volume among all the vacuum getters. The experimental results and related analysis can be adopted in the later design of the vacuum tank.     

Particle size measurement of reference particle candidates and uncertainty region of count and mass based cumulative distribution

In order to confirm reliable particle size measurement technique and to prepare standard reference particles for calibrating particle size measurement devices, uncertainty region of count and mass based size distribution have been theoretically examined. The uncertainty region of count base cumulative size distribution is smaller than that of the mass base cumulative distribution.The uncertainty region of count base cumulative size distribution is nearly constant over wide range of particle diameter and the region is nearly constant for sample size greater than about 20,000.On the other hand, the uncertainty region of mass base cumulative distribution increases with the increase of particle diameter.The reliability of theoretical uncertainty region is confirmed by the experimental data of particle size measurement.     

Measurements of size distribution of titanium dioxide fine particles in a highly concentrated non-aqueous suspension by using particle self-assembly under an electric field

This paper describes the measurement of size distribution of TiO₂ fine particles in a highly concentrated non-aqueous suspension by using self-assembly of particles under an electric field. Interactive force apparatus (IFA) was used to conduct the measurement. IFA first assembled pearl chains of particles between two electrodes, and then applied the compressive force to change the pearl chain structure by shortening the distance between electrodes. The repulsive force generated when the chain curved while the attractive force created when the chain was broken. The cycle of repulsive and attractive forces corresponds to the size of particles. The results obtained with IFA were compared with results obtained from size measurement by analyzing SEM photographs. IFA indicated the comparable results with the one obtained using SEM. The particle size distribution measured by IFA decreased as a result of increasing the supply voltages. Changes in correlation between size distribution measured by SEM and IFA at different supply voltages were observed in different size ranges. At smaller than 300 nm, result at 0.24 V fit well with the SEM result while at >600 nm gives better agreement with the results at 0.48 V. The difference is mainly due to the increase in number of particles in fine size fraction with increasing supply voltages. Decrease in size indicated that the breakage of aggregate particles and/or disintegration of doublet particles occurred due to the electrical fragmentation. The fragmentation was explained by monitoring the mean diameters and their deviation obtained from IFA measurements at different supply voltages.     

超声法纳米颗粒悬浮液粒径测量中温度影响的实验研究

针对医药、化工领域高浓度纳米悬浮液颗粒粒径超声检测中温度影响,采用超声衰减谱法(UAS)对体积浓度30%的纳米铟锡金属氧化物(ITO)水性悬浮液在循环流速800 r/min,温度298～358 K时颗粒粒径分布进行实验。结果表明:温度升高,超声幅值A减小,超声衰减系数增大,颗粒中位径D50增大,颗粒系分布曲线整体朝大颗粒方向偏移,但是分布宽度保持稳定的趋势。同时,将室温(298K)测量结果与CPS离心沉降颗粒测量仪对比,结果较吻合。通过线性回归的方法修正温度对测量结果的影响,超声衰减法能够应用于358K的高温下高浓度纳米颗粒检测。     

Recent advances in the recovery of tungsten values in the fine and ultrafine size range

Recent advances in the design of fine gravity concentrators and high gradient magnetic separation devices have led to significant improvements in the recovery of tungsten values in fine and ultrafine size range. Amongst the more promising techniques of fine particles processing, encouraging results are reported on froth flotation, shear flocculation and spherical agglomeration of tungsten ore slimes. Development of highly selective reagents such as alkyl hydroxamates, phosphonic acid derivatives and alkylated nitrosonapthols is vital for enhancing separation efficiencies in the slimes size range. Froth flotation of Indian tungsten ore slimes (particularly at Degana) using appropriate reagent combinations appears promising and needs to be examined in greater detail.     

Role of base plate rotational speed in controlling spheroid size distribution and minimizing oversize particle formation during spheroid production by rotary processing

The occurrence of material adhesion and formation of oversize particles in the product yield during one-pot spheroid production by rotary processing leads to a less predictable process and a decrease in the usable portion of the total product yield obtained from each production run. The use of variable speeds of the rotating frictional base plate during the spheronization run was investigated for achieving optimal spheroid production. When the base plate speed was increased during liquid addition, the greater centrifugal forces generated improved liquid distribution and the mixing of the moist powder mass, resulting in a decrease in the amount of oversize particles formed. When the base plate was maintained at a high speed throughout the run, the amount of oversize particles and mean spheroid size increased, and a greater “between batch” mean spheroid size variability was also observed. The findings showed that, when higher speeds were used, the residence time must be adjusted accordingly to avoid excessive coalescence and growth while maintaining even liquid distribution. A “low-high-low” speed variation during rotary processing may be used to produce spheroids with a narrow size distribution and with a minimal amount of oversize particles in the total product yield.     

Quantification of single-cell nanoparticle concentrations and the distribution of these concentrations in cell population

Quantification of nanoparticle uptake into cells is necessary for numerous applications in cellular imaging and therapy. Herein, synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microscopy, a promising tool to quantify elements in plant and animal cells, was employed to quantify and characterize the distribution of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanosphere uptake in a population of single cells. These results were compared with average nanoparticle concentrations per cell obtained by widely used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results show that nanoparticle concentrations per cell quantified by SXRF were of one to two orders of magnitude greater compared with ICP-MS. The SXRF results also indicate a Gaussian distribution of the nanoparticle concentration per cell. The results suggest that issues relevant to the field of single-cell analysis, the limitation of methods to determine physical parameters from large population averages leading to potentially misleading information and the lack of any information about the cellular heterogeneity are equally relevant for quantification of nanoparticles in cell populations.     

Variation of physical and rheological properties of fly ash slurries with particle size and its effect on hydraulic transportation at high concentrations

In thermal power plants, fly ash is collected at the bottom of electrostatic precipitator (ESP) hoppers and transported to common sump for further disposal to the ash pond by slurry pipelines. The fly ash from different fields of ESP hoppers vary widely in particle size as well as quantity. Depending on the sequence of evacuation, the overall particle size distribution (PSD) would vary with time which in turn would affect the head requirement in the high concentration slurry disposal (HCSD) system. Fly ash samples from different fields of ESP hoppers of a thermal power plant have been analyzed for their physical properties namely the PSD, specific gravity, settling characteristics, pH of the slurry, etc. and for rheological properties in the concentration range of 60–70% (by weight). The particle size (d_wm) of the fly ash samples decreases with the increase in ESP field, whereas the static settled concentration and specific density increase. The pH values of all samples are almost constant and nonreactive in nature. The rheological properties namely yield stress and Bingham viscosity of the fly ash slurries from different fields of ESP hoppers increase with increase in concentration. Further at any given concentration, these parameters exhibit a strong dependence on particle size. Using these properties and treating the distribution of particles across the pipe cross section as homogeneous in the concentration range of 60–70% (by weight), CFD computations are made to evaluate the head requirement in a HCSD pipeline. The head loss increases with increase in concentration for all fields of ESP hoppers. The present study also shows that head requirement varies significantly by mixing different proportion of fly ash from different ESP fields.