Design and Testing of a Microchip-Based System for In Situ Aerosol Composition Measurements

利用微流体和微机电（MEMS）系统领域的最新发展，科罗拉多州立大学的研究人员将开发和测试一种小型化的、基于微芯片的气溶胶分析仪，该分析仪将与现有的接口系统相结合，适用于检测和分析尺寸分辨的降水和气溶胶。采用微芯片毛细管电泳（MCE）和电化学检测（ECD）的分析系统被认为是多功能系统，能够测量无机阴离子和阳离子，羧酸和无水碳水化合物（例如，植物燃烧生物标志物，如左旋葡聚糖，甘露聚糖，半乳糖），所有这些都对表征环境气溶胶来源和组成感兴趣。小型化、廉价的气溶胶分析仪的发展在密集采样网络、个人暴露监测、小型无人驾驶飞机系统部署以及实时空气质量监测和雾化剂检测方案中具有潜在的广泛和理想的社会目标。

Taking advantage of recent developments in the area of microfluidics and microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems, Colorado State University researchers will develop and test a miniaturized, microchip based aerosol analyzer, to be coupled with existing interface systems appropriate to the detection and analysis of size resolved precipitation and aerosols. Analytical systems using microchip capillary electrophoresis (MCE) with Electrochemical Detection (ECD) are suggested to be versatile systems capable of measuring inorganic anions and cations, carboxylic acids and anhydrocarbohydrates (e.g., plant combustion biomarkers such as levoglucosan, mannosan, galactosan), all of which are of interest in characterizing ambient aerosol sources and composition. The development of miniaturized, inexpensive aerosol analyzers holds the potential of their operation in dense sampling networks, personal exposure monitors, deployment on small unmanned aircraft systems, and in real time air-quality monitoring and aerosolized agent detection schemes, all of the above having potentially broad and desirable societal goals.