NASA SHARP CLOSING CEREMONY

Combustion and Ignition of Energetic Nancomposites

Harrison HsuUnder supervision of Dr. E. L. Dreizin and A. Ermoline, New Jersey Institute of Technology

Nanocomposites•Mixtures blended on the scale of nanometers

•They are exceptionally homogeneous

A regular mixture

A nanocomposite

More about Nanocomposites

Ball milling pictures from http://www.ilpi.com/inorganic/glassware/index.html

•Produced by blending fine powders

•Powders manufactured in ball mill

•Nanocomposite powders can be pressed into easier-to-handle pellets

Reactive Nanocomposites

•Nanocomposites have effectively infinite reaction surface area

•They react faster and more intensely than macro-size composites•Can be: space propellant, explosive, incendiary

The Laser Chamber

•A hermetically sealed chamber

•Equipped with CO2 and red lasers

•Data collection instruments: light and sound

•Used to heat and ignite pellets

First Project: Zirconium

Zr ZrN20 40 60 80

20

40

60

8020

40

60

80

ZrO2

CF

A

E

G

H

D

B

• The phase chemistry of Zr with N and O is not well-known

• Research could lead to discovery of new materials, particularly explosives and propellants

A diagram of the compositions used

Current Results

•Local heating is currently possible

•Multiple heatings a promising possibility

•Compositions A, B, C, and E have been used so far

Sphere-and-cylinder formation for uniform heating

Results (cont.)

Burn temperatures about 2000K

SEM reveals morphologies:

Spherical Inclusions

Dendritic

Graph

Run 4,July 7th 2004

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Time (s)

Tem

per

atu

re in

deg

rees

Kel

vin

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Pyr

om

eter

Inte

nsi

ty (

V)

Temperature (K)

Channel B

25 per. Mov. Avg. (Temperature (K))

Example Reaction:

Al+Fe2O3 => Al2O3+Fe

Second Project: Thermite

•A reactive metal exchanges oxygen with an inert oxide for large energy release.

•Aluminum-Iron

•Aluminum-Molybdenum

•Boron-Titanium

From http://www.chem.psu.edu/ncs/HalloweenShow2003.htm

Thermite Preparation

Arrested Reactive Milling

•Milling cut short boosts reaction power and speed

•Used to compare with conventional milling

•Pulsed Detonation

•ARM releases more energy faster than the blend

•Frequent saturation of camera

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Time (s)

Inte

nsi

ty (

V)

PhotoDiode

ChannelA

ChannelB

ChannelC

LaserOff

Results

Future Research

Added Variables:

•Temporary levitation for ignitions

•Teflon nanocomposite (CF2) n + Al)

•New Pellet Binders

•New formulations of Zr-O-N (D,F,G,H)

Applications of Technology:

•Munitions

•Propellant

•Fuel

Analysis of Aerosol Particle Concentration Using MFRSR

• Goddard Institute For Space Studies

• The City College Of New York, Department of Electrical Engineering

• Xavier Estevez

What are aerosols?What are aerosols?

• Air consists of molecules of N2, O2, CO2, and various other gases

• Aerosols are fine solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas

• Some examples of atmospheric aerosols are smoke, sulfates, volcanic ash, pollen, mold spores

Remote SensingRemote Sensing• Is the observation of some attribute of a subject

by means that do not involve direct contact with that subject

• In other words, “look don’t touch”• A familiar remote sensing system is that of your

eyes and brain• Examples of remote sensing: weather radar,

satellite imagery, climbing a mountain and looking at things, LIDAR, seismometers, telescopes, radio telescopes, x-rays, MRI. The applications are almost endless.

Remote Sensing of Aerosols• In order to determine the

concentration of aerosols in the atmosphere, we use optical remote sensing.

• Aerosol particles reflect light. We can detect these particles by measuring the loss of intensity of light as it passes through an aerosol-bearing medium

• Different wavelengths of light can detect different particle sizes.

• Simply put, short wavelength light detects smaller particles, and long wavelength light detects larger particles

Long wavelength light

Short wavelength light

What is the MFRSR?

Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer– Multi-Filter

•Senses several different wavelengths of light– Rotating Shadowband

•Has a motorized arm thatperiodically covers the sensor

– Radiometer•Measures intensity of

solar radiation

http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html

How Is It Used?Control Unit /

Data Acquisition System

•Data Acquisition System (DAS) controls the MFR, stores data in internal memory

•Laptop is connected to the DAS to download the data

•Data files are analyzed using various software tools

RS-232

LaptopMFR

What Does It Tell Us?

The moving shadowband allows one instrument to collect direct and diffuse intensity readings

Data analysis tells us how much light is reflected by the atmosphere

Variations in this amount are related to concentration of aerosol particles

Beer’s LawThe deeper the glass, the darker the brew,

The less the amount of light that gets through

Ig = I0 e–m

Loge Ig = Loge I0 – m

•The intensity of the light that reaches the earth’s surface is decreased by two factors– the length of its path through the atmosphere, and the optical properties of the atmosphere

•The relationship can be modeled as a linear equation.

•The slope of this line is equal to the total optical depth (how effectively the atmosphere blocks light)

Ig = intensity of sunlight as measured at the instrument

I0 = intensity of sunlight outside of the atmosphere

e = Napier’s constant

m = airmass factor

= optical depth

Langley Regression Analysis

• As the sun moves across the sky, sunlight must pass through varying amounts of air

• The light’s path is shortest at noon, and longest at sunrise and sunset

• Beer’s law tells us that there is a direct relationship between path length and light intensity– light that passes through a path twice as long is affected twice as much.

• We assume that the optical depth of the atmosphere remains constant over a half-day period, and can therefore determine optical depth by plotting light intensity against path length (the secant of the solar zenith angle).

Data Filtering The optical depth for the time period in this graph is equal to the slope of the red line.

The red line was not drawn mathematically, it “just looks right”

This technique is not statistically valid, we have to use a linear regression equation to draw the trend line

That regression applied to this data set would yield a line with a less severe slope and a lower y-intercept, due to the disproportionate effect of outlying points.

Secant of solar zenith angle vs. Solar radiation intensity (W/m2/nm)

415 nm, afternoon of 22-June-2004

Linear Regression• Linear regression is a technique used to plot a straight

line from a 2-dimensional collection of plotted data points

• This allows one to model real-world data theoretically• The line produced will pass as closely as possible to as

many of the data points as possible• The equation which returns the slope of the best-fit line

is as follows:

Outcome• The final product of my research is a list of

optical depths for approximately 70 days, and the Java application that I used to calculate these values.

• I do not see any discernible patterns in these optical depths. They do not appear to conform to any linear or periodic functions as far as I can tell.

• One potential source of error is the fact that due to cloudy or overcast conditions, some days did not yield any acceptable data-points, or yielded too few data-points to obtain any statistically valid trend

• Another error source is the fact that even the best data-cleaning algorithm cannot determine with absolute certainty which readings are invalid.

References

• “Atmospheric Aerosols: What are they, and why are they so important?” http://oea.larc.nasa.gov/PAIS/Aerosols.html

• “Linear Regression”http://www.math.csusb.edu/faculty/stanton/probstat/regression.html

• “Excel Tutorial On Linear Regression”http://phoenix.phys.clemson.edu/tutorials/excel/regression.html

• “Langley Method”http://www.optics.arizona.edu/rsg/menu_items/resources/equip/langley.htm

• “MFR-7 MULTI-FILTER ROTATING SHADOW BAND RADIOMETER”http://www.yesinc.com/products/data/mfr7/index.html

Supercritical Fluid Assisted Particle

Synthesis

Antoinette Kretsch

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Solvent enters system

Supercritical CO2

Collection trap

Exiting CO2 and solvent

Left over particles

Analytical Techniques• Beckman Coulter N4 Plus: Submicron Particle Size Analyzer

– determines particle size by measuring the rate of change in laser light intensity scattered by particles as they diffuse through a fluid

• Leo 1530 VP: SEM Microscope – Produces 3-D image magnified x100,000 by spraying specimen with

fine metal coating and sending beam of electrons over the surface to be projected onto fluorescent screen 

• SigmaScan: Systat software program– Collects data such as diameter and area of nanoparticles using pictures

taken by the SEM

• FTIR: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy– Used to identify chemical bonds in various substances by interpreting

the infrared absorption spectra

Conclusions

• A smaller nozzle will yield smaller, less agglomerated particles

• A pressure closer to supercritical pressure (78 bar for CO2) will yield smaller particles, so 82 bar had smaller particles than 100 bar

• The higher ratio of acetone to DCM will yield smaller particles with a narrow size distribution although the particles will have a distorted shape

Suggestions for Further Study

• Can a stronger pump be used for force the solution through tinier micronozzles (ex: 10 μm and 5 μm)?

• Is there a better way to increase yield of particles (particles stick to sides of, top of, and apparatus inside the collecting chamber and are hard to remove) and decrease amount lost to air?

• What would the results be if another supercritical fluid was used instead of CO2?

• Can the durability of the micronozzles be increased so they last more than one or two trials?

Skeletal Response to Weightlessness in the Female Murine Tibia

Amy Brazin, NASA Apprentice

Maria Squire, Ph.D. Candidate

Stefan Judex, Ph.D.

August 20, 2004

Effects of Disuse are Site-Specific

• Metaphyseal BV/TV is 30% lower in disuse mice

• Metaphyseal Ct.Ar is lower by 15%as a result of a decrease in Ps.Ar and increase in Ec.Ar

• Yet, diaphyseal Ct.Ar was only minimally affected (3%)due to an insignificant increase in both Ps.Ar and Ec.Ar

Example:

-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

Metaphysis Epiphysis

BV

/TV

(%

diff

eren

ce fr

om c

ontr

ol)

*-60

-50

-40

-30

-20

-10

0

Metaphysis Epiphysis

BV

/TV

(%

diff

eren

ce fr

om c

ontr

ol)

*

If I had more time, I would….

• Analysis male F1 mice for similar effects in the tibia

• Examine the osteoclast, osteoblast, and osteoid growth and population density in specific sites

• Research other causes of bone loss such as hormonal secretions

Image Segmentation of Bone Density Images

Rebecca Kamins

Quick Overview

• Trying to find a deconvlution algorithm that will give us the real image.– g(x,y)= f(x,y)*h(x,y)+n(x,y)

• We took a PSF (represents blur in a micro CT scanner) and altered it 3 ways.

• Deconvolved the images using each PSF and analyzed the results

Results

• Symmetrically rotated Gaussian PSF yielded the best results

• Circular PSF good too- not the best

Future

• Create 3D volume estimates of the mouse bones

• Use pattern recognition to determine genetic trends in mice with bone loss

• Write a code to be implemented in a micro CT scanner

Acknowledgements

• Dr. John Daponte• Megan Damon• Michael Clark• Thomas Sadowski• Charles Tirrell• NASA SHARP• NASA GISS• SCSU

Enhancing Air Gap Membrane Distillation

Melissa DeutschIn conjunction with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at the

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyDr. Chao Zhu – professor of mechanical engineering

Tong Lee, Qun Yu – PhD candidatesSummer 2004

Research Findings• Distillation system used to

extract chemically pure water from dirty water through a hydrophobic membrane

• Theoretically, pure water has a resistance of infinity, since it cannot conduct electricity

• This system produced water of 300kΩ resistance from an initial source feed of salt water at 90kΩ

• Huge jump in resistance of water shows that the system is largely effective in its end

• Found that the magnetic stirrer did little to increase both the rate of water production and the volume of water produced

• Larger temperature difference did produce a greater rate of production

• Hot side cavity is too large to effectively increase the rate of water production

• Folded membrane would make the system more feasible for use on a lunar base

• Vacuum pump necessary to increase rate of flow

Future Work• Test the AGMD apparatus

against various concentrations of dissolved particles (ie – NaCl, dyes)

• Test the AGMD apparatus against various temperature gradients

• Install an ultrasonic inducer to potentially enhance the effectiveness of the membrane distillation system

• Build a new AGMD apparatus with a folded membrane module to increase flow rate

• Introduce a vacuum into the air gap

AGMD apparatus

York College Radio Telescope

York College Radio TelescopeYork College Observatory

Ian O’LearyTim Paglione

Description

• We will be receiving Radio waves from various sources.

• Radio waves we are focusing on is the 21 cm hydrogen wave emissions.

• Radio waves allow us to understand more about what we are focusing on.

• Hydrogen gives creates a 21 cm wave when it moves from its excited state to its ground state.

Project Goals

• Construction of a Radio Telescope.

• Connections between telescope and computer (server).

• Observe radio wave emissions from hydrogen emitting sources.

ex: Sun (stars), Moon, and Galaxies

• Record and plot all data found.

Personal Air VehiclePersonal Air Vehicle

By Robert Brown and Nikhil Srivastava

Contributions from:Contributions from:

Dr. Siva ThangamDr. Siva Thangam

This is an artist's concept of a dual-mode road to air vehicle, a 'flying car.'

A Flying Car—What would it take?

Concept • A “roadable” aircraft that gives people the

option to drive or to fly

Why?• Basically, a question of time• “Point to point mobility” can be dramatically

increased with a dual-mode vehicle

The Process

• Research: Websites, Magazines, News Articles, other published works

• Comparison/rating of existing designs using evaluation metrics

• Preliminary conceptual design• Testing of design using principles of fluid

dynamics• Building a prototype?

Sample Metrics (Specifications)

• Ease/Speed of convertibility

• Fits on roads/parking spaces/garages

• Propulsion: fuel efficiency, type of engine

• Size: passenger capacity, cargo, fuel

• Takeoff/Landing: runway length, noise

• Weight distribution

Important Guidelines

• Fuel Sources Involved• Emissions• Noise issues• Cost Analysis

• Surveys for user demographics

• Ground systems to support transportation

Nikhil’s design

Radio Emission of Jupiter and the Sun

NASA SHARP

Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Medgar Evers College

By: Junior Soto, Melissa Feliciano, Tiffany Walker

Mentor: Dr. Leon Johnson

Results The general task that we perform was receiving

electromagnetic waves from the Sun. After receiving the electromagnetic waves we had to find out how this affected that Planet Earth. The result that we received was that we heard two solar bursts. We had to keep in mind that there was a lot of interference at our site which is located at Medgar Evers college. During the time that we were receiving electromagnetic waves we also were hearing a lot of static's.

Future Work

As we continue to gather more information on Radio Jove and also gathering electromagnetic waves from the Sun we came to the conclusion that there should be further work on this experiment. Such experiments includes listening for more solar bursts near in the future and also identifying how this emission from the Sun can affect the communication on Earth. By doing all of this we could come and find a way in which our communication can be stronger and not be disturbed, nor interrupted by any solar emission.

Precision Robot NavigationConfiguring a PS2 optical mouse to

interface with a BASIC Stamp 2 microcontroller

Researchers: Calley Levine and Ali Moussawi

Mentor: Professor Vikram Kapila

Teaching Assistant: Mr. Mishah Salman

Summer 2004

Our Robot

Our Project• The precision navigation robot was created in order to

provide a cheap and practical method for determining the position of a robot.

• This was done using a PS/2 optical mouse and the BASIC Stamp 2 (BS2) microcontroller

• Difficulty: Interfacing communication between the mouse and the BS2

• Many attempts were made to write a program which would successfully enable the communication… simply said, we failed

– Factors: timing, power, and data transfer

• Instead, the PAK-Via pic was used and its displacement readings were then applied in order to restrict the movement of the robot to an area inscribed by specified parameters (i.e. a room)

What We Learned…• Circuitry (basics; use of transistors; integration of

sensors, processors, actuators, etc.)

• Computer programming using PBASIC language

• Responsibilities of employment… the work wasn’t too bad

• Managing time and keeping to deadlines is extremely important (AIM, Minesweeper, and Microsoft Paint are destructive forces!!!)

Advanced Composition Explorer

Measuring the Solar Wind and Solar Flares

Oscar Puente

Mentor: Dr. Paul Marchese

Research Findings• The solar wind contains more low energy particles

than it does those of higher energies– These particles can escape the sun’s gravity more easily

• They require less energy to be excited and shot away from the sun

• Electrons are more abundant in the solar wind than protons, and they travel more quickly– Electrons weigh less than protons and therefore require less

energy to enter the solar wind

• Elements of higher weights (He, O, Fe) are only present in the solar wind during times of great solar activity– They weigh more than H+ ions and electrons

Future Work

• Compare solar wind data from ACE to magnestosphere/ionoshphre data from the Earth– Find out how the solar wind affects the earth’s

magnetic fields– Find predictable patterns in changes caused by

the solar wind

EPREPR(electron paramagnetic resonance)(electron paramagnetic resonance)

Jonathan SpagnolaJonathan Spagnola

Dr. Flowers, Hunter college/MECDr. Flowers, Hunter college/MEC

EPR TheoryEPR Theory

• Electrons have two spin energy Electrons have two spin energy statesstates

• When no magnetic-field, the When no magnetic-field, the energy of the spin states are energy of the spin states are identicalidentical

• In presence of magnetic field, In presence of magnetic field, the energy of spin states divergethe energy of spin states diverge

• EPR is only used on EPR is only used on paramagnetic speciesparamagnetic species

EPR spectroscopyEPR spectroscopy

The instrument used in the The instrument used in the lab is Bruker EMX model lab is Bruker EMX model spectrometer.spectrometer.

The frequency of the The frequency of the microwaves that the microwaves that the spectrometer produce is spectrometer produce is 9.5GHz.9.5GHz.

EPR spectrum of LiMnEPR spectrum of LiMn22OO44

EPR PracticalityEPR Practicality

• The spectrometer can also be used to test the efficiency of different The spectrometer can also be used to test the efficiency of different combinations of atoms, such as Li-ion batteries.combinations of atoms, such as Li-ion batteries.

• The batteries for the mars rover were developed by those in the lab I The batteries for the mars rover were developed by those in the lab I currently work in.currently work in.

• So, why Lithium….Lithium ion batteries are one of the most common So, why Lithium….Lithium ion batteries are one of the most common rechargeable sources of energy.rechargeable sources of energy.

High Pressure NMR: Study of Proton Movement in a

Polymer

BY: Rahsaan Bascombe

Mentor: Professor Steve Greenbaum, Eugene Mananga

What I Learned

1) Some Science behind NMR technology

2)How to run an experiment varying different Parameters

3) How to Use Mat lab to graph my data

4))Not all work done in Lab is Nobel Prize worthy.

Results

Further Work

1) Running another polymer under the same conditions

2) Finding the diffusion under each pressure

3) Comparing it to the coefficients found in the BB2 sample

4)Determining which would be better to use in a Fuel Cell

The Great Dark Vortex on Jupiter

Harry Charalambous

Dr. James Frost

Introduction

• The Great Dark Spot of Jupiter is a mysterious anomaly that occurs in the north pole of Jupiter at a latitude of 60 degrees and a longitude of 180 degrees. It is located in the same vicinity as the Aurora, which suggests the dark spot is related to the Aurora. With a size three times the size of Earth, roughly the size of the Great Red Spot, and a lifespan of only approximately ten weeks, the Great Dark Spot is a mystery. The Great Dark Vortex was first discovered by accident by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997. Scientists at NASA did not know what to make of the spot until it was once again seen during the CASSINI fly-by of Jupiter in 2000.

Abstract

• Our study of the Great Dark Vortex on Jupiter is meant to discover how and why the vortex forms and what factors contribute to its formation. The Great Dark Vortex, also known as the Great Dark Spot is currently under investigation for its peculiar formation and deterioration. The three dates I am studying are on September 1997 with the dark spot clearly visible, November 1997 with signs of the deterioration of the Great Dark Spot and its trail, and on August 1999 with no sign of the Great Dark Spot. This information is gathered using the Hubble Space Telescope.

Conclusion• The Great Dark Spot can be seen clearly as it was supposed to

be during September 1997 under filters of 218nm, 255nm, 336nm, and 890nm. These are not new results, but they are worth discovering for myself.

• Ratios under an assortment of filters further reveal the Dark Spot and its trail during September 1997, and its deterioration during November 1997 in the north pole of Jupiter under a CML of roughly 180 degrees.

• The deterioration of the Great Dark Spot is revealed in some of the ratio plots from November 1997. The possible remnants of the Great Dark Spot may be involved in the reformation of the Great Dark Spot as shown with the CASSINI flyby of Jupiter.

Conclusion (cont’d)

• Thus, in the future, we may be able to use the remnants of the dark spot to tell us the composition of the spot. It also suggests that the Great Dark Spot again and possibly periodically.

• A ratio of 336/218 during September 1997 seems to reveal another dark spot in the south pole of Jupiter. This spot is of similar nature to the Great Dark Spot because it is located in the Aurora and last for approximately the same amount of time. Therefore, the Great Dark Spot can be inferred to be directly related to the Aurora.

• A comparison of point values at the Great Dark Spot for different frequencies suggests that the Great Dark Spot’s composition has a spectrum near a frequency of 410nm.

Everybody talksabout

the weather,

but nobody

does anything

aboutit

Gil Zamfirescu, in conjunction with Dr. Leonard Druyan,Dr. Matthew Fulakeza, andAbdelrahim Mansour

High-resolution Weather Analysis and Prediction: West Africa

How do we collect data?NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis

Satellite Imagery (TRMM)

The Regional Model

Whydo we think we can do better?

1) The resolution of the Regional Model.

2) The algorithm used by the Regional Model to simulate precipitation.

Detail of storm patterns.Variability of data.

Optics

The All-Optical Threshold Device

Stephen Brandes, NASA Apprentice

Dr. Roger Dorsinville, Mentor

Muhammad Ali Ummy, Graduate Student

The City College of New York

All-Optical Threshold Device• A device that can discriminate between two

intensity levels is a Threshold Device• Loop mirror contains SOA, attenuator, and 50:50 coupler

• Phase change occurs in clockwise beam during transmission in 50:50 coupler

• Destructive or constructive interference at the ports

• To set a threshold value, attenuator is set to constant value while SOA is varied

Experimental Setup

Graphical Results

Response of the device at the Threshold Intensity

-1

0

1

2

0 50 100 150 200 250 300

Input Power(micro Watt)

Performance of the Threshold Device

0

5

10

15

20

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Input Power (micro watt)

Experimentation and Results

• SOA set to three different gain levels• VOA varied periodically to change input intensity• Threshold values of all-optical threshold device

were inversely proportional to the value of the SOA

• In future, threshold device can be used for optical computing• Faster• More efficient

Nanoscale Cr4+ Doped Olivine Crystallites Used In Optical

Amplifiers and Lasers

By: Denise Asafu-Adjei (Bronx H.S. of Science)

Caesar Pereira (Archbishop Stepinac H.S.)

Supervising Scientist: Prof. Petricevic (CCNY)

Senior Scientist: Dr. Bykov (CCNY)

Analysis of Cr doped Powders

• 0.1% and 0.5% samples seem to be the optimal concentrations for laser emissions.

• When heated to 1050C in general, the light emissions increased and encompassed a longer range of wavelengths.

• In conclusion, we can see that because the light emissions for 1050C surpassed 1000nm, Cr4+ ions are present now in our powders.

Importance of this Research

• To synthesize an effective amplifying medium for the purpose of creating a “tunable laser” that will be able to emit light at multiple wavelengths

• This is of significance for NASA research because these lasers would be more versatile, spatially efficient, convenient, and cost-effective

Applications of Lasers

• Optical communication

• Remote sensing

• Medical imaging

• Surgery and LASIK

• Tissue welding

FURTHER RESEARCH

• Studying the light emissions from the crystals synthesized from the powders

• Attaining the optimal Cr concentration in the crystals, which will provide the maximum light emissions

• In this final part of our project x-ray spectroscopy will be utilized for further analysis of our crystals that will be grown

Classification of NYC Aerosols by X-Ray and

Optical Methods

By: John Sangobowale (Mount St. Michael Academy) and William Dennis ( John F.

Kennedy H.S.)Mentors: Marc Cesaire (Graduate student) and

Dr. Elizabeth Rudolph

EAS Department CCNY

Purpose

The Principal objective of our work is:• Elemental Characterization of Aerosols

collected by two methods for comparison:

– EBAM: beta mass attenuation– Millipore apparatus: Vacuum Filtration

• Ultimately: to understand how weather patterns affect the chemical composition and darkness of aerosol particles

What are Aerosols?• Aerosols are small solid or liquid

particles suspended in the atmosphere. Their sizes vary from a few nanometers (0.000000001 meters) to almost 100 micrometers (0.0001 m, the thickness of a hair.

• Volcanic dust• Combustion products• Soot• Smoke

Optical Microscopy

• Why do we use optical microscopy? – New approach at characterizing

aerosol samples– Build upon other experimental work

and correlate with XRF techniques and (later down the road…weather data)

• Nikon Fluorescence Microscope with CCD Camera

Conclusion

• Titanium and Iron are present in aerosols in variable and sometimes high concentrations

• At first pass, optical darkness of filters correlates with weather characteristics suggesting that high humidity and rain events correlate with higher concentrations of metals

Thanks To…..