Monitoring and Characterizing Airborne Carbon Nanotube Particles

Project Information

Principal Investigator	Judy Xiong
Institution	New York University School of Medicine
Project URL	View
Relevance to Implications	High
Class of Nanomaterial	Engineered Nanomaterials
Impact Sector	Human Health
Broad Research Categories	Exposure Hazard Safety Characterization
NNI identifier	a3-2

Funding Information

Country	USA
Anticipated Total Funding	$400,000.00
Annual Funding	$133,333.33
Funding Source	NIOSH
Funding Mechanism
Funding Sector
Start Year	2005
Anticipated End Year	2008

Abstract/Summary

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are dominant among the array of nanomaterials because of their unique chemical and physical properties. Promising applications in many areas are expected to lead to industrial scale production in the near future. CNTs could become airborne during manufacturing and handling and result in inhalation and dermal exposure of workers to particles of unknown toxicity. However, knowledge is limited regarding potential exposure concentrations for workers exposed to this new type of material. Also, no adequate method exists for quantitative and qualitative monitoring of airborne CNTs because of their complexity. The proposed research will develop a comprehensive yet practical method for sampling, quantification, and characterization of CNT particles in air. The method will permit classification of sampled particles into three categories: tubes, ropes (bundles of single-walled CNTs bounded by Van der Waals attraction force), and nontubular particles (soot, metal catalysts, and dust, etc.). The method will also permit calculation of the number concentrations and size distributions for each type, and the shape characters (diameter, length, aspect ratio and curvature) of CNTs. The method will use available instrumentation to build an air monitoring system that is capable of sampling and sizing airborne CNT particles in a wide size range by using a 10-stage Micro-orifice uniform Deposit Impactor (MOUDI) and an Integrated Diffusion Battery previously developed in this laboratory. The samples of each size fraction will be collected onto Silicon-chip substrates and analyzed using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Newly developed software, SIMAGIS® Nanotube Solutions, will be used for AFM image analysis and data processing, which can automatically count nanotubes, nanoropes and particles; and measure the shape characters. Other commercially available nanoparticle sampling instruments, such as an electrostatic aerosol sampler and a Nano-MOUDI will also be tested in this work. Successful completion of this project will produce a validated method for sampling airborne CNTs in the workplace and a practical method (using AFM image analysis technology) for classifying sampled CNT particles by type and for quantifying and characterizing each type separately. These methods are needed for determining health risks that may result from worker exposure to the various types: CNTs, nanoropes, and nontubular nanoparticles. The results will also provide a foundation for field and personal sampling devices for CNTs.

(Project budget is an estimate only, based on available data)