AAAR 33rd Annual Conference
October 20 - October 24, 2014
Rosen Shingle Creek
Orlando, Florida, USA
Abstract View
Lanthanide Doped Silica Nanospheres – Surface Sampling in Deposition Studies
ERIN M. DURKE, Wesley Gordon, Amanda Jenkins, Jason Edmonds, Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
Abstract Number: 242 Working Group: Nanoparticles and Materials Synthesis
Abstract The overall objective of our research is to determine the degree of surface deposition resultant from the aerosolization of a dusty powder. Current methods for measuring the amount of deposited material require extraction of material from the surface, a process which involves manipulations that can disturb the settled material. In order to facilitate more reliable measurements of the amount of aerosol deposited, we have developed a model system of silica nanospheres, of known size and shape, with a lanthanide element incorporated into the spheres. The lanthanide we have chosen to work with is europium, an element whose fluorescence spectra is well characterized. Addition of the europium to the silica nanosphere allows fluorescence surface sampling to be performed after deposition, permitting measurement of the material without risk of disturbance or dislodging due to movement during traditional surface sampling techniques. Preliminary measurements of the 200 nm doped spheres have shown the fluorescence intensity to be linear (R = 0.9998) over 0.1 µM to 100 µM concentrations of the doped spheres in IPA. Results have also indicated that detection of the spheres is more sensitive for surface sample, than in solution.