Development of integrated microfluidic-based ultrafine water condensation particle counter (UWCPC) for monitoring of airborne nanoparticle generation and growth mechanisms

Research team led by Professor Yongjun Kim of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the first author, Dr. Seongjae Yoo introduced a microfluidic-based ultra-fine water condensation particle counter (UWCPC) made with PCB and 3D printing technology. UWCPC is a low-cost, miniaturized microfluidic device for monitoring nanoparticle generation and growth mechanisms in atmosphere. This device consists of a sheath/sample air separation unit, a nanoparticle growth section, and a small optical particle counter, and is capable of measuring particles down to 3.4nm diameter, due to optimized design determined by simulation. This research has been published as a cover article in renowned international academic journal 'Royal Society of Chemistry' (Impact Factor: 7.3) in April 2024.

The link: https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EN00686G