Design and Testing of a Photochemical Aerosol Generator for Calibrating Aerosol Measuring Instruments in the Submicrometer Region

ABSTRACT

A new type of photochemical type aerosol generator of nanometer-sized particles, based on UV photolysis of certain haloidaromatic compounds and metal carbonyls is described. The particle number concentration may be varied from 10⁵ to 10⁷ cm⁻³ and the particle diameter from 2 to 100 nm. The temporal stability of the particle concentration and mean diameter is about ± 5% and ±10% for approximately 4 h. This generator can be used for calibration and adjustment of various aerosol measuring instruments individually or in combination with other devices, such as electrostatic classifiers, etc.