Electrical charging of aerosol nanoparticles and sonne practical applications^

This review article summarizes the main results of recent fundamental research on the electrical charging of nanometer-sized aerosol particles (particle diameter below 10 nm, Knudsen number above about 15, kinetic regime). It covers topics of great relevance to aerosol processing and measurement, such as the effect of the presence of a number of ions on the surface of a nanoparticle on its electrical mobility; the experimental measurement of charging probability / efficiency for particle diameter below 10 nm, both for diffusion and corona discharge type chargers; the effect of particle growth by Brownian coagulation on the charging process; and the examination of after-charging effects downstream of an aerosol neutralizes The last part of this article discusses two practical applications of nanoaerosol charging, namely, the particle size measurement by electrical methods, and some electrostatic effects on the removal of nanoparticles from gas streams.