Particle Collection and Sampling Techniques for Aerosol Characterization
Summary
Particle collection and sampling techniques form the cornerstone of aerosol research, enabling precise characterisation of airborne matter across environmental, industrial and health-related applications. Methods range from simple filter-based systems to sophisticated aerodynamic separators, each exploiting distinct physical principles—gravitational settling, inertial impaction, centrifugal force, diffusion and electrostatic attraction—to isolate particles by size, composition or phase. Key parameters in sampler design include flow rate, cut-off diameter, collection efficiency curves and artefact mitigation such as particle bounce or wall losses. Cascade impactors and virtual impactors afford size‐segregated sampling for downstream chemical or toxicological analysis, while cyclones and aerodynamic lenses concentrate particle mass for in vitro or in vivo assays. Liquid impingers and electrostatic precipitators provide alternatives for viable bioaerosol collection. Advances in predictive modelling and real-time monitoring have further refined sampling campaigns, yielding high-resolution temporal and spatial data. The global significance of these techniques spans air quality regulation, occupational hygiene, climate modelling, infectious disease surveillance and nanomaterial safety, underscoring the need for continual innovation in sampler performance, miniaturisation and portability.
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Particle Collection and Sampling Techniques for Aerosol Characterization publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in particle collection and sampling techniques for aerosol characterization across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Aerodynamic diameter: diameter of a spherical particle of unit density with the same settling velocity as the particle of interest.
Cut-off diameter: particle size at which a sampler’s collection efficiency is 50 %, defining its operational threshold.
Inertial impactor: device that separates particles by inertia when an airstream abruptly changes direction, depositing larger particles onto a collection surface.
Virtual impactor: flow-splitting concentrator that enriches a designated particle size fraction without impaction surfaces, using minor and major flow streams.
Cyclone separator: sampler employing centrifugal force in a swirling flow to drive particles onto the walls for collection in a skirt or vessel.
References
- An overview of methods of fine and ultrafine particle collection for physicochemical characterisation and toxicity assessments. The Science of The Total Environment (2020).
- Inertial Impaction Technique for the Classification of Particulate Matters and Nanoparticles: A Review. KONA Powder and Particle Journal (2021).
- Review of Measurement Methods and Compositions for Ultrafine Particles. Aerosol and Air Quality Research (2007).
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