Analysis and handling of bio-nanoparticles and environmental nanoparticles using electrostatic aerosol mobility

The successful application of differential mobility analysis for the characterization and manipulation of nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure has given rise to further development of this technique. The parallel differential mobility analyzer provides the possibility to simultaneously measure a size spectrum of nanoparticles and select a particular set of nanoparticles with a defined size for collection (as well as enrichment) and further orthogonal analysis (as for example electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy or mass spectrometry). Performing a high resolution measurement of electrical mobility diameters allows molecular weight determination of species with ultrahigh molecular masses in the mega Dalton range (e.g. protein complexes). The precise size measurement of the human rhinovirus has confirmed the potential of this technique to analyze even intact infectious human-pathogenic viruses. Moreover, the real-time measurement of nanoparticle occurrence in an urban environment confirms the versatility of the method presented here and its applicability also in other areas of importance.

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► Parallel DMA provides simultaneous measurement and collection of nanoparticles with equivalent size.
► Non-destructive size determination of intact viruses can be done in airborne state.
► Size spectra of catalase indicate equilibrium between monomer and non-covalent biospecific complex.