Particles Plus instruments were used during the research into In-Situ Elemental Composition Analysis of Large Inhalable Aerosol Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy at Colorado State University. The paper was presented by Professor Azer Yalin et al., 2022.
The researchers used Particles Plus optical scattering sensor technology to measure particles with an aerodynamic diameter exceeding 20 μm.
Aerosol researchers have primarily focused on detecting small (below 10 μm) particles due to their presence in almost all environments and the health impact associated with their inhalation. However, inhalable particles larger than 20 μm are also present in many industrial environments such as grinding, computer numerical control (CNC) machining, lead smelting, and battery manufacturing. If these inhaled particles are toxic to health (e.g., lead, nickel, or cadmium), then it is important to identify the presence of these elements to limit exposure.
The main purpose of the paper was the development of a direct-reading particle sizer (DRPS) that uses optical scattering signals and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to obtain direct time-resolved measurements of the aerodynamic diameter and elemental composition of large (∼20–100+ μm) airborne particles.
Particles Plus OEM optical counters are advanced instruments that offer flexibility and precision to researchers and product developers that want to collect high-quality particulate data.