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Published on: July 11, 2017
Measurement of individual particle atomic composition by aerosol mass spectrometry
1Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, New Jersey 07974, USA.
Abstract:
Advances in instrumentation used for particle compositional analysis have enabled real-time identification and classification of individual particles. However, precise quantitation of individual particle compositions has been elusive. Here, we demonstrate that real-time quantitative single-particle compositional analysis is possible. This is illustrated for individual particles of sodium chloride (70 nm), ammonium sulfate (70 nm), and silica (40-2000 nm) using a real-time aerosol mass spectrometer. Atomic fractions for major components (> 1% concentration) of individual multicomponent particles have been measured within +/-20% accuracy. Trace element detection limits of 20 ppm are also demonstrated when individual particle compositions are ensemble averaged.
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