Plasma Electrochemical Sensor for Airborne Particulates

在工业化国家，大约15%的人口对空气中的花粉有过敏反应。实时检测和识别空气中的颗粒，结合抗原特异性药物，可以帮助改善许多花粉热患者的生活质量。目前测量空气中颗粒的方法是基于古老的捕获和计数技术，这种技术既昂贵又费力，通常只能给出24小时以上的平均值。在这个建议中，描述了一种测量大气中花粉或气溶胶等颗粒的新方法。该方法依赖于火焰中颗粒的分解，在火焰中产生大量较小的碎片。这些较小的颗粒通常是带电的，然后可以使用电化学手段进行测量。该方法的优点是通过碎片化过程进行扩增。这些碎片在火焰中的分布将提供一个独特的模式，这取决于颗粒的材料、密度和组成。有了这种技术，就有可能对大气中颗粒物的数量密度进行连续测量，并通过电位层析法对颗粒物进行识别。

Allergic reaction to airborne pollen affect about 15% of the population of industrialised countries. Real-time detection and identification of airborne particles combined with antigen specific medication, can help improve the quality of life for many hay fever sufferers. Current methods for measuring airborne particles are based on the archaic capture and count technique which is expensive and laborious, and normally give an average over 24 hours. In this proposal a new approach to measuring particles such as pollen, or aerosol in the atmosphere is described. The method relies on the breakdown of the particles in a flame to produce a large number of smaller fragments in a flame. These smaller particles are often charged and can then be measured using electrochemical means. The advantage of this method is the amplification through the fragmentation process. The distribution of these fragments in the flame will provide a unique pattern depending on the particle's material, density and composition. With this technique it will be possible to have a continuous measure of the number density of particulates in the atmosphere and identify of the particulates by potentiometric tomography.