Non-Technical Abstract: The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), in collaboration with Arkansas State University, Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, is proposing to develop an instrument to study the properties of minute-sized airborne particles and their roles in environmental health, science, medicine, and economic development. These particles, too small to be visible even with the aid of a standard laboratory microscope, may cause serious damage to both the lungs and the heart (Science Magazine, 25 March 2005), and these adverse health effects range across many industries - from particles present in soot and automotive exhaust to lunar or Martian dust that astronauts will be exposed to in human missions to the Moon and Mars. In the emerging development of nanotechnology, industries thus face many challenges in controlling the hazards presented by nanoparticles, and perhaps even more importantly are the myriad beneficial applications to engineering and medical technologies that nanotechnology can provide. These nanoparticles may be assembled together by non-contact forces in a precise structure and order to form new engineering materials and medical drugs not feasible for assembly with any current mechanical tools in existence. This, for instance, opens the pathway to new drug development and delivery techniques for cystic fibrosis patients. Experts predict that economic development to address the two sides of currently emerging nanotechnology will grow into a trillion dollar industry in the United States alone over the next two decades. UALR will develop a new instrument to measure the size and static charge distribution of the particles and to control their motion in electric, magnetic, and gravitational fields. Under the proposed two-year instrument development application project, it will be used to study: 1) Material coatings development for medical devices, and new drug development for respiratory delivery, 2) studies on the adverse environmental effects of nanoparticles from various industries, 3) detection of chemicals and biotoxins in the air for US Space and Missile Defense Command, and the development of new respiratory protection against nanoparticle inhalation, and 4) the improvement of advanced engineering processes in reducing the emission of nanoparticle exhaust pollutants in the automotive industry. The proposed research is designed to support integrative education of students from grade 9 up to the completion of a PhD program, as the university faculty members will work with school teachers preparing the students for education and research at the university level.
Development of a laser based instrument to measure simultaneously both particle size and electrostatic charge distributions in real time and on a single particle basis for particles in the size range 10 to 1000 nm in diameter is proposed by a team of researchers of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR). The instrument will employ a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV) that will analyze the response of particle motion under the excitation of ac electric and acoustic fields synchronously applied at a frequency ranging from 10 to 100 KHz. The diameter (da) and the charge (q) of each particles passing through the LDV sensing volume, are determined by measuring the phase lag and the amplitude ratio of the oscillatory particle motion with respect to the applied sinusoidal fields. A high frequency photon correlator and a cooled photomultiplier tube will be used to process signals from the radiation scattered from particles to measure the size and charge distributions at a rate of 1000 particles per second. Application of this new Electro-acoustic Single Particle Aerodynamic Relaxation Time (ESPART) Analyzer for nanoparticles will be utilized in several research projects being performed by the team of scientists, engineers, and physicians at UALR, and other campuses in the US and abroad including Arkansas Children Hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. These projects include: 1) Material engineering studies of aerodynamic and electrokinetic transport of nanoparticles, their deposition and cluster formation, electrodynamic guided assembly of airborne particles of different sizes and compositions developing new drugs for respiratory delivery, and electrospray of nanoparticles for coating cardiovascular stents 2) studies on the regional lung deposition of inhaled nanoparticles as a function of size and charge using physical models, 3) detection of chemicals and biotoxins in air for US Space and Missile Defense Command, and the development of new respiratory protection against nanoparticle inhalation, and 4) plasma processes in reducing the emission of nanoparticle exhaust pollutants in the automotive industry. The proposed research and education project is designed to support integrative education of students anywhere from grade 9 to the completion of a PhD program in material engineering, as the university faculty members will work with school teachers and students in preparing the students for education and research at the university level.
