AN INSTRUMENT FOR DETERMINING THE ELECTRIC CHARGE DISTRIBUTION IN AEROSOLS

Abstract

An instrument has been developed to permit measurement of the electric charges on a relatively large number of particles during a comparatively short period in the history of an aerosol. These novel characteristics have been obtained by depositing a sample on microscope slides in such a way that the charge on any particle at deposition can be determined in a subsequent examination from the size of the particle and its position on the slide. There is evidence to show that the act of sampling with this instrument does not cause spurious charging of particles. The construction and theory of the instrument are described in some detail and results of tests are given to show that the theory is applicable. The use of the instrument is illustrated by an account of a preliminary study of the charge distribution in a silica dust aerosol at various times after generation.