Measurement of mass of aerosol particles

Published

January 1, 2021

Author(s)

Kevin J. Coakley, Robert Hagwood, Kensei Ehara, Nobuhiko FUKUSHIMA, Kittichote WORACHOTEKAMJORN, Naoko TAJIMA, Hiromu SAKURAI

Abstract

An aerosol particle mass analyzer (APM) which classifies aerosol particles according to their mass has been developed. Mass distributions of aerosol particles can be measured by the APM combined with a particle counting device. Particle mass that can be measured in this way ranges from 3 x 10-18 g to 2 x 10-12 g, which partially fills the mass range that has not been covered by existing mass measuring instruments such as mass spectrometers and conventional balances. The invention of the APM has led to a variety of new techniques for evaluating aerosol particle properties such as effective density, material density, porosity, fractal dimension, and mass concentration of suspended particulates, among others. This article describes the principle of the APM, its features differentiating it from other instruments for classifying aerosol particles, and its applications to characterization of aerosol particles. The significance of measurement of particle mass in aerosol science, and the historical process that has led to commercialization of the APM are also described from the viewpoint of "synthesiology."

Citation

Synthesiology

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Aerosol particles, particle mass, mass distribution measurement, aerosol particle mass analyzer

Citation

Coakley, K. , Hagwood, R. , Ehara, K. , Fukushima, N. , Worachotekamjorn, K. , Tajima, N. and Sakurai, H. (2021), Measurement of mass of aerosol particles, Synthesiology (Accessed June 16, 2025)