Artificial intelligence-motivated in-situ imaging for visualization investigation of submicron particles deposition in electric-flow coupled fields

This study delves into the intricate deposition dynamics of submicron particles within electric-flow coupled fields,underscoring the unique challenges posed by their minuscule size,aggregation tendencies,and biological reactivity.Employing an operando investigation system that synergizes microfluidic technology with advanced micro-visualization techniques within a lab-on-a-chip framework enables a meticulous examination of the dynamic deposition phenomena.The incorporation of object detection and deep learning methodologies in image processing streamlines the automatic identification and swift extraction of crucial data,effectively tackling the complexities associated with capturing and mitigating these hazardous particles.Combined with the analysis of the growth behavior of particle chain under different applied voltages,it established that a linear relationship exists between the applied voltage and θ.And there is a negative correlation between the average particle chain length and electric field strength at the collection electrode surface(4.2×10^(5)to 1.6×10^(6)V·m^(-1)).The morphology of the deposited particle agglomerate at different electric field strengths is proposed:dendritic agglomerate,long chain agglomerate,and short chain agglomerate.

Modeling Submicron Particles Collection in Laminar Forced Convection Gas Flow by a Rectangular Venturi Scrubber

Venturi scrubbers are usually used for large particles cleaning in turbulent gaseous flow. In this work, submicron particles scrubbing in laminar forced convection dusty air flow in a rectangular venturi scrubber have been numerically simulated. Hydrodynamics effects and scrubbing process are investigated in detail. Results are presented as flow velocity, axial pressure, streamlines pattern, particles and droplets mass fraction profile, and collect efficiency. They show that venturi scrubbers can be efficient for submicron particles scrubbing. In fact, a better collect efficiency is obtained at high particles-droplets residence time, high ratio droplets concentration/particles concentration, low venturi diameter ratioand low Reynolds numbers. There is a critical Reynolds number value for which the collect efficiency becomes very low and tends to be constant.

Tracking Submicron Particles in Microchannel Flow by Microscopic Holography

Three-dimensional tracking of submicron particles in flows in a micro-channel was carried out using in-line holographic microscopy.A fixed single 0.5 μm fluorescent particle was identified and isolated from dust particles or overlapped particle pair using the laser induced fluorescent(LIF) method.Then in-line microscopic holograms of the fixed single particle were obtained at different positions on the optical axis,i.e.the defocus distances.The holograms of the single particle were used as the model templates with the known defocus distances.The particles in the in-line microscopic holograms of flow in the microchannel were then identified and located to obtain their two-dimensional positions.The defocus distances of those particles were determined by matching each hologram pattern to one of the model templates obtained in the single particle test.Finally the three-dimensional position and velocity of each particle were obtained.

Comparison of Submicron Particles at a Rural and an Urban Site in the North China Plain during the December 2016 Heavy Pollution Episodes

An extensive field experiment for measurement of physical and chemical properties of aerosols was conducted at an urban site in the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences（CAMS） in Beijing and at a rural site in Gucheng（GC）, Hebei Province in December 2016. This paper compares the number size distribution of submicron particle matter（PM1, diameter 〈 1 μm） between the two sites. The results show that the mean PM1 number concentration at GC was twice that at CAMS, and the mass concentration was three times the amount at CAMS. It is found that the accumulation mode（100–850 nm） particles constituted the largest fraction of PM1 at GC, which was significantly correlated with the local coal combustion, as confirmed by a significant relationship between the accumulation mode and the absorption coefficient of soot particles. The high PM1 concentration at GC prevented the occurrence of new particle formation（NPF） events, while eight such events were observed at CAMS. During the NPF events, the mass fraction of sulfate increased significantly, indicating that sulfate played an important role in NPF. The contribution of regional transport to PM1 mass concentration was approximately 50% at both sites, same as that of the local emission. However, during the red-alert period when emission control took place, the contribution of regional transport was notably higher.

Characterization of submicron particles during autumn in Beijing,China

In this study, we performed a highly time-resolved chemical characterization of nonrefractory submicron particles（NR-PM_1） in Beijing by using an Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer（HR-ToF-AMS）. The results showed the average NR-PM_1 mass concentration to be 56.4 ± 58.0 μg/m^3, with a peak at 307.4 μg/m^3. Due to the high frequency of biomass burning in autumn, submicron particles significantly increased in organic content, which accounted for 51% of NR-PM_1 on average. Secondary inorganic aerosols（sulfate ＋ nitrate ＋ ammonium） accounted for 46% of NR-PM_1, of which sulfate,nitrate, and ammonium contributed 15%, 20%, and 11%, respectively. To determine the intrinsic relationships between the organic and inorganic species, we used the positive matrix factorization（PMF） model to merge the high-resolution mass spectra of the organic species and NO＋and NO_2~＋ions. The PMF analysis separated the mixed organic and nitrate（NO＋and NO_2~＋） spectra into four organic factors, including hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol（HOA）, oxygenated organic aerosol（OOA）, cooking organic aerosol（COA）, and biomass burning organic aerosol（BBOA）, as well as one nitrate inorganic aerosol（NIA） factor. COA（33%） and OOA（30%） contributed the most to the total organic aerosol（OA） mass, followed by BBOA（20%） and HOA（17%）. We successfully quantified the mass concentrations of the organic and inorganic nitrates by the NO＋and NO2＋ions signal in the organic and NIA factors. The organic nitrate mass varied from 0.01-6.8 μg/m^3, with an average of 1.0 ±1.1 μg/m^3, and organic nitrate components accounted for 10% of the total nitrate mass in this observation.

Extraction of 17β-estradiol in water using non-imprinted polymer submicron particles in membrane filters

17β-Estradiol （E2） is an endocrine disrupting chemical of harm to both animals and human beings at a low concentration level （ng/L）. It cannot be completely removed by wastewater treatments, and is often detected in both environment and drinking waters. The purpose of this feasibility study, towards environmental engineering in the field of water analysis and treatment, was to remove E2 by extraction using non-imprinted polymer （NIP） submicron particles. Experimental results showed that 0.5 mg/L of E2 could be completely extracted by adding 10 mg of NIP particles directly into 10 mL of water. However, the extraction efficiency decreased to 64% for 100 mL of water. prefilling the NIP particles inside a membrane filter showed a potential for water treatment of a large volume, requiring no effort to distribute the particles uniformly in the water. High extraction efficiency （80 ± 10）% for E2 was achieved for 100 mL of water. A total mass of 0.29 mg E2 was extracted from 1000 mL of water containing 0.8 mg/L E2 （by using only 10 mg of NIP particles）. Both efficiency and mass capacity can be increased, by scaling up the amount of NIP particles, towards environmental engineering applications.

Hygroscopicity of ambient submicron particles in urban Hangzhou,China

In this study,hygroscopicity of size-segregated ambient submicron particles in urban Hangzhou was studied from 28th December 2009 to 18th January 2010,using a hygroscopicity-tandem differential mobility analyzer(H-TDMA).The submicron particles in Hangzhou showed a minor hygroscopic growth at 73%relative humidity(RH),and then grew significantly between 77%and 82%RH.Monomodal distribution accounted for 90%for 30 nm particles,17%for 50 nm particles,and less than 7%for particles larger than 50 nm at 82%RH.Deconvolution of the bimodal distribution indicated a less hygroscopic group and a more hygroscopic group,with the fraction of the more hygroscopic group increasing with the initial dry particle size and then remaining almost constant for accumulation mode particles.Our results imply that submicron particles in urban Hangzhou were almost entirely externally mixed,and the hygroscopic properties of ambient particles in urban Hangzhou were mainly a function of their size and chemical composition.

Chemical characterization and source apportionment of atmospheric submicron particles on the western coast of Taiwan Strait, China

Taiwan Strait is a special channel for subtropical East Asian Monsoon and its western coast is an important economic zone in China. In this study, a suburban site in the city of Xiamen on the western coast of Taiwan Strait was selected for fine aerosol study to improve the understanding of air pollution sources in this region. An Aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer（HR-To F-AMS） and an Aethalometer were deployed to measure fine aerosol composition with a time resolution of 5 min from May 1to 18, 2015. The average mass concentration of PM1 was 46.2 ± 26.3 μg/m^3 for the entire campaign. Organics（28.3%）, sulfate（24.9%）, and nitrate（20.6%） were the major components in the fine particles, followed by ammonium, black carbon（BC）, and chloride. Evolution of nitrate concentration and size distribution indicated that local NOx emissions played a key role in high fine particle pollution in Xiamen. In addition, organic nitrate was found to account for 9.0%–13.8% of the total measured nitrate. Positive Matrix Factorization（PMF）conducted with high-resolution organic mass spectra dataset differentiated the organic aerosol into three components, including a hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol（HOA） and two oxygenated organic aerosols（SV-OOA and LV-OOA）, which on average accounted for 27.6%,28.8%, and 43.6% of the total organic mass, respectively. The relationship between the mass concentration of submicron particle species and wind further confirmed that all major fine particle species were influenced by both strong local emissions in the southeastern area of Xiamen and regional transport through the Taiwan Strait.

Microstructure and thermal conductivity of submicron Si_(3)N_(4) reinforced 2024Al composite

An 2024Al matrix composite reinforced with 36%(volume fraction)β-Si_(3)N_(4) particles was fabricated by pressure infiltration method,and its microstructure and the effect of annealing treatment on thermo-conductivity were discussed.Si_(3)N_(4) particles distribute uniformly without any particle clustering and no apparent particle porosity or significant casting defects are observed in the composites.The combination of particles and matrix is well.The raw Si_(3)N_(4) particles are regular cylindrical polyhedron with flat surface and change to serrated surface in composite due to reactions during fabrication.Thermal conductivity of as-cast Si_(3)N_(4)p/2024 composite is 90.125 W/(m·K)at room temperature,and increases to 94.997 W/(m·K)after annealing treatment. The calculated results of thermal conductivity of the Si_(3)N_(4p)/Al composite by Maxwell model,H-S model and PG model are lower than experimental results while that by ROM model is higher.

Effect of Ni on Removal of Pentachlorophenol with Fe Nanoparticles

Chlorinated phenols are a kind of environmental priority pollutants that attract much attention. The effect of Ni on the removal of pentachlorophenol （PCP） with Fe nanoparticles was investigated in this study. Fe nanoparticles and Ni submicron particles were synthesized using chemical reduction method and wet chemical techniques, respectively. And the concentrations of PCP and chloride ion in solutions were measured with and without Ni present. The results showed that the dechlorination of PCP was promoted in the presence of Ni particles, and the dechlorination efficiency was reduced along with the increase of Ni size. When the diameter of Ni particle was smaller than 300 nm, the removal efficiency of PCP was obviously increased in the initial 4 h, and then became the similar to that of the system with Fe only. When the diameter of Ni particle was between 400 nm and 1 μm, the removal efficiency of PCP was increased in the initial 1 h. Then the removal of PCP was inhibited, and the inhibition was increased with the increase of Ni size. Later, the removal efficiency was the similar in various systems.

Well-ordered layered LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 submicron sphere with fast electrochemical kinetics for cathodic lithium storage

Nickel-rich layered oxides have drawn sustainable attentions for lithium ion batteries owing to their higher theoretical capacities and lower cost.However,nickel-rich layered oxides also have exposed several defects for commercial application,such as uncontrollable ordered layered structure,which leads to higher energy barrier for Li+diffusion.In addition,suffering from structural mutability,the bulk nickelrich cathode materials likely trigger overall volumetric variation and intergranular cracks,thus obstructing the lithium ion diffusion path and shortening the service life of the whole device.Herein,we report wellordered layered Li Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 submicron spheroidal particles via an optimized co-precipitation and investigated as LIBs cathodes for high-performance lithium storage.The as-fabricated Li Ni0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 delivers high initial capacity of 228 mAh g–1,remarkable energy density of 866 Wh kg–1,rapid Li ion diffusion coefficient(10–9cm2s–1)and low voltage decay.The remarkable electrochemical performance should be ascribed to the well-ordered layered structure and uniform submicron spheroidal particles,which enhance the structural stability and ameliorate strain relaxation via reducing the parcel size and shortening Li-ion diffusion distance.This work anticipatorily provides an inspiration to better design particle morphology for structural stability and rate capability in electrochemistry energy storage devices.

Rapid pressure-assisted sinter bonding in air using 200 nm Cu particles and enhancement of bonding strength by successive pressureless annealing

To design an effective and realistically applicable sinter bonding process for power devices,we proposed a two-step process using a 200 nm Cu-particle-based paste to form a bondline having high-temperature sustainability and superior thermal conductance.This process involved rapid pressure-assisted sinter bonding in air followed by pressureless annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere.In the case of a paste prepared with a mixture of 20 wt.%malic acid and 80 wt.%ethylene glycol,sinter bonding at 300℃and 5 MPa for only 30 s resulted in a sufficient shear strength of 23.1 MPa.The shear strength was significantly enhanced to 69.6 MPa by the additional pressureless aging for 30 min.Therefore,the two-step sinter bonding process is expected to provide an outstanding production rate as a next-generation sinter bonding process.

Characterization of submicron aerosol particles in winter at Albany,New York

A thorough understanding of chemical composition,particle pH,and pollutant emissions is essential to address the climate and human health effects of atmospheric particles.In this study,we used a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer(HR-ToF-AMS)and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer(SMPS)to characterize the composition of submicron particles.Moreover,we applied the ISORROPIA-II model to analyze the particle acidity effect on the compositional characterization of submicron particles from December 22,2016 to January 7,2017 in Albany,New York,USA.The results indicated that aerosols with mobility diameter from SMPS in the range 200–400 nm were the main contributors to the mass during the measurement period.The dominance of organics(47%)and sulfate(16%)was similar to previous observations in the eastern United States in Winter 2015,while the fraction of nitrate(23%)was much higher.Moreover,nitrate could easily form at colder temperatures and lower RH levels even when there were more acidic particle periods during the measurement period in Albany.The ISORROPIA-II model indicated that there were more acidic particles,which was estimated using pH values.Lower temperature conditions tended to favor nitrate formation.The nitrate concentration exceeded that of sulfate in the measurement period,even though the SO2and NOxemissions were similar.The organics in submicron particles were strongly influenced by the local emissions in winter.However,the inorganic compounds in submicron particles could be derived from regional transport as their pollution sources originated from different directions.This may help strategize emission reductions in the future.

Synthesis and Deposition of TiC-Fe Coatings by Oxygen-acetylene Flame Spraying

A simpler and more convenient method for producing wear-resistant, TiC-reinforced coatings were investigated in this study. It consists of the simultaneous synthesis and deposition of TiC-Fe materials by oxyacetylene flame spraying. Solid reagents bound together to form a single particle are injected into the flame stream where an in-situ reaction occurs. The reaction products are propelled onto a substrate to form a coating. Microstructural analyses reveal that TiC and Fe are the dominant phases in the coatings. The reaction between Ti and C happens step by step along with the reactive spray powder flight, and TiC-Fe materials were mainly synthesized where the spray distance is 125-170 mm. The TiC-Fe coatings are composed of alternate TiC-rich and TiC-poor lamellae with different microhardness of 11.9-13.7 and 3.0-6.0 GPa, respectively. Submicron and round TiC particles are dispersed within a ductile metal matrix. The peculiar microstructure is thought to be responsible for its good wear resistance, which is better nearly five times than WC-reinforced cermet coatings obtained by traditional oxyacetylene flame spray.

INTEGRAL COLLISION KERNEL FOR THE GROWTH OF AEROSOL PARTICLES

Integral collision kernel is elucidated using experimental results for titania, silica and alumina nanoparticles synthesized by FCVD process, and titania submicron particles synthesized in a tube fumace reactor. The integral collision kernel was obtained from a particle number balance equation by the integration of collision rates from the kinetic theory of dilute gases for the free-molecule regime, from the Smoluchowski theory for the continuum regime, and by a semi-empirical interpolation for the transition regime between the two limiting regimes. Comparisons have been made on particle size and the integral collision kernel, showing that the predicted integral collision kernel agreed well with the experimental results in Knudsen number range from about 1.5 to 20.

REVIEW OF SOME RESEARCHES ON NANO-AND SUBMICRON BROWNIAN PARTICLE-LADEN TURBULENT FLOW

The study of nano- and submicron Brownian particle-laden turbulent flow has wide industrial applicability and hence has received much attention. The purpose of the present paper is to provide and review some researches in this field. The topics are related to the universality, particularity, complexity and importance of nano- and submicron Brownian particle-laden turbulent flow, the models of particle general dynamical equation, the collision behavior of particles. Finally, several open research issues are identified.

Theoretical investigation on submicron particle penetration through circular tubes inside a porous medium

The analytical infinite series solution of submicron particle transport in a circular tube bounded by a porous wall,such as a pinhole,is determined under the slip velocity boundary condition,and the solution is verified by using the experimental data in the previous studies for the specific cases.The results show that particle penetration rate increases with the increase of the porous parameter,the axial pressure drop,and the pinhole radius,whereas it decreases with increasing the pinhole length.The penetration rate of nano-particles are more sensitive to the variation of these parameters.However,the differences between the penetrations of particles ranging from 0.3μm to 1μm are not evident because the diffusion becomes weak gradually in this size range.In addition,a further comparison is performed between the analytical solution and the existing studies,and approximate expressions are presented for accurate calculation of particle penetration rate through pinholes appearing in porous materials including filter devices and masks.

Submicron particle sizing by aerodynamic dynamic focusing and electrical charge measurement

Principles of a novel submicron particle sizing technology are first introduced followed by experimental validation. The sizing was accomplished by coupling aerodynamic particle focusing and maximum ion measurement. Experimental results showed that the prototype could detect particle sizes down to 40 nm in diameter. Comparison between the prototype and a scanning mobility particle sizer using identical polydisperse particles showed that the measurements agreed well for the tested particles.

Continuously released Zn^(2+)in 3D-printed PLGA/β-TCP/Zn scaffolds for bone defect repair by improving osteoinductive and anti-inflammatory properties

Long-term nonunion of bone defects has always been a major problem in orthopedic treatment.Artificial bone graft materials such as Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate(PLGA/β-TCP)scaffolds are expected to solve this problem due to their suitable degradation rate and good osteoconductivity.However,insufficient mechanical properties,lack of osteoinductivity and infections after implanted limit its large-scale clinical application.Hence,we proposed a novel bone repair bioscaffold by adding zinc submicron particles to PLGA/β-TCP using low temperature rapid prototyping 3D printing technology.We first screened the scaffolds with 1 wt%Zn that had good biocompatibility and could stably release a safe dose of zinc ions within 16 weeks to ensure long-term non-toxicity.As designed,the scaffold had a multi-level porous structure of biomimetic cancellous bone,and the Young’s modulus(63.41±1.89 MPa)and compressive strength(2.887±0.025 MPa)of the scaffold were close to those of cancellous bone.In addition,after a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments,the scaffolds proved to have no adverse effects on the viability of BMSCs and promoted their adhesion and osteogenic differentiation,as well as exhibiting higher osteogenic and anti-inflammatory properties than PLGA/β-TCP scaffold without zinc particles.We also found that this osteogenic and anti-inflammatory effect might be related to Wnt/β-catenin,P38 MAPK and NFkB pathways.This study lay a foundation for the follow-up study of bone regeneration mechanism of Zn-containing biomaterials.We envision that this scaffold may become a new strategy for clinical treatment of bone defects.

Tunable natural resonances via synergistic effects of two phases in Fe_(x)(Co_(y)Ni_(1-y))_(100-x)for multi-band microwave absorption

Multi-band microwave absorption is becoming ubiquitous owing to the increasingly complex electromagnetic environment driven by the diversity of electronic devices.However,research on efficient electromagnetic absorbers applicable in both centimeter-wave and millimeter-wave bands to address the electromagnetic interference in 5G networks is highly challenging.In this study,Fe_(x)(Co_(y)Ni_(1-y))_(100-x)particles with two phases(face-centered cubic(FCC)and hexagonal close-packed(HCP))were synthesized and were found to exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave absorption.HCP phase with high magnetocrystalline anisotropy was introduced into FCC phase Fe_(x)(Co_(y)Ni_(1-y))_(100-x),resulting in natural resonances in multi-band frequency.Prominent microwave absorption properties in ultra-wide bandwidth ranging from 6.9 to 39.5 GHz were obtained.The maximum reflection loss(RL)of the Fe_(23)(Co_(0.5)Ni_(0.5))77 composite film reached-50 dB.Such a remarkable absorption performance is attributed to the synergetic effects of the multiple natural resonances generated by the coexistence of HCP and FCC phases in Fe23(Co0.5Ni0.5)77.Overall,this work is promising for the future design of high-performance microwave absorbing materials in a wide bandwidth.