Advanced Condensation Nuclei (CN) Counter

This technology is an apparatus and method for detecting, counting, and recording properties of ultrafine particles (<0.1 microns) compactly and inexpensively for more detailed, accurate analyses of particle numbers and particle size distributions in a variety of markets, such as for air quality, home health, and clean room control.

Background: 
CN counters are widely available, but counters that can detect particles at ultrafine particle sizes (<0.1 microns) are very expensive (tens of thousands of dollars). This invention could make the detection of these very small particles achievable at greater than one to two orders of magnitude lower than is currently possible. Ultrafine particles are critically important for human health because they penetrate deep into the lungs. They are ubiquitous in urban air, are produced in the home (i.e., following nucleation through condensation of cleaning products; or through the production of soot from gas ranges), and have a wide variety of industrial sources. An inexpensive detector that can detect, count, and record properties of particles from the ultrafine size mode, as well as in much larger size modes, could provide transformative benefits to several industries and applications.

Applications: 

• Detecting, counting, and recording properties of ultrafine particles
• Analyzing health, environmental, and manufacturing air conditions

Advantages: 

• Compact
• Inexpensive