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Updated: Dec 13, 2025

Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopic Identification of Dispersant/Particle Bonding Mechanisms in Functional Inks
Published on: May 8, 2015
Inline Infrared Chemical Identification of Particulate Matter
Javier Núñez1, Yunqi Wang1, Stefan Bäumer1
1The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, HTC25, 5656AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The health and environmental effects of particulate matter (PM) in the air depend on several parameters. Besides particle size, shape, and concentration, the chemical nature of the PM is also of great importance. State-of-the-art PM sensors only detect the particle size and concentration. Small, low-cost sensors only identify PM according to PM2.5 and PM10 standards. Larger detectors measure the complete particle size distribution. However, the chemical composition of PM is not often assessed. The current paper presents the initial stages of the development of an infrared-based detector for the inline assessment of the chemistry of PM in the air. By combining a mini cyclone that is able to concentrate the particles at least a thousand fold and a hollow waveguide that aligns the flow of particles with infrared light, the feasibility of the concept was shown in this study. A clear differentiation between amorphous and crystalline silica was demonstrated at outdoor PM levels of lower than 1 mg per cubic meter.
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