G. Van Schooneveld, P. Keady, D. Oberreit
CT Associates, Inc,
United States
Keywords: nanoparticles, ultrapure water, nebulization
Summary:
Focused Aerosol Deposition (FAD) is a technique that combines extraction of nanoparticles from UPW via nebulization with focused droplet deposition on a SEM-ready stub providing an extremely localized collection of particles as small as 5 nm. Improvements in aerosol focusing, evaporation management and direct deposition on SEM-ready media has resulted in a focal point as small as 0.005 mm2 with repeatable positioning. By maintaining a tight collection area, the time required to collect sufficient particles for analysis is reduced 50 to 90% compared to traditional filtration methods and provides improved sizing analysis via SEM and elemental analysis using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS).