Ambient measurements of nanoparticle population distributions
Suresh Dhaniyala
Ambient nanoparticles (< 50 nm) are ubiquitous in typical urban/semi-urban neighborhoods, originating from combustion sources such as diesel and SI vehicles. These particles typically dominate the airborne particulate number concentration, but are often not monitored because of their small contribution to total aerosol mass. These particles are, however, of significant human health concern because of their possible hazardous chemical composition and their potential to penetrate deep into the human respiratory system. As a part of this project, a student will use the newly developed Highflow dual channel differential mobility analyzer (HDDMA) to study physical and chemical properties (with a tandem setup) of these particles in near real-time. This project will demonstrate the possibility of using this new instrument (HDDMA) for fast analysis of nano-aerosol properties and provide preliminary understanding of particle populations near roadways. This project will involve instrumentation development, laboratory measurements, field measurements, and data analysis.
