Aerosol Testing Facility

NanoComposix has a comprehensive aerosol testing facility for characterizing aerosol physical and optical properties. The facility consists of a 2.5 m³ chamber in which 0.1 – 10 g of material can be aerosolized using a variety of methods.  The aerosol optical and physical properties are measured using a suite of analytical tools. Optical properties are measured using an Ocean Optics visible-near IR (400 – 1100 nm) spectrophotometer and a Nicolet FTIR (1.5 – 20 µm) spectrophotometer with beam paths that transect the long axis of the chamber with a path length of 1.6 meters.  A custom built nephelometer measures the aerosol’s albedo (a ratio of scattering to total extinction) and scattering intensity as a function of angle. Sizing equipment measures the diameter of the launched materials in the 10 – 500 nm regime (scanning mobility particle size) and the 0.5 – 20 µm regime (aerodynamic particle size).  Filter samples are collected by passing a known volume of air across a pre weighed filter substrate.  After sampling, the filter is reweighed and the mass of material collected in a known volume of air is determined to calculate the launch yield.

A number of different methods are used to aerosolize materials. Powdered samples are aerosolized with a solenoid controlled pneumatic launch system using a 0.5 second burst of 750 psi air, a custom venturi pump modeled off the schematics for a SRI nozzle,  and a burst disk membrane that ruptures at 1000 psi. Liquid samples are aerosolized using a nebulizer or a MeeFog wet aerosol generator that rapidly generates a dense fog. 

The Aerosol Testing Facility also includes a high speed camera (1000 fps) which captures the aerosol launch mixing dynamics and provides images of a tribar contrast chart which is used to calculate the modulation transfer function of the launched material.  Aerosols are removed from the chamber with a HEPA ventilation system that exchanges chamber air at a rate of one chamber volume every 10 seconds. A positive air pressure system keeps the optics from being coated with particulates enabling reuse of the chamber without further cleaning, allowing up to 20 samples per day to be launched and characterized in our facility. 

Aerosol Testing Facility validation was performed by launching visible and IR obscurant standards and comparing characterization results to results from the Aerosol Science Experimental Facilities at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, part of the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command.

NanoComposix aerosol chamber has a unique set of capabilities and has been used to perform environmental studies, to test obscurants, to optimize drug delivery formulations, and to characterize a wide variety of solid and liquid particulates. For more information regarding our Aerosol Testing and Characterization capabilities, please contact John Holecek by email (john.holecek@nanocomposix.com) or phone (858) 565-4227 x 151.