Microfluidic Airborne Metal Particle Sensor Using Oil Microcirculation for Real-Time and Continuous Monitoring of Metal Particle Emission

Abstract

Airborne metal particles (MPs; particle size > 10 μm) in workplaces result in a loss in production yield if not detected in time. The demand for compact and cost-efficient MP sensors to monitor airborne MP generation is increasing. However, contemporary instruments and laboratory-grade sensors exhibit certain limitations in real-time and on-site monitoring of airborne MPs. This paper presents a microfluidic MP detection chip to address these limitations. By combining the proposed system with microcirculation-based particle-to-liquid collection and a capacitive sensing method, the continuous detection of airborne MPs can be achieved. A few microfabrication processes were realized, resulting in a compact system, which can be easily replaced after contamination with a low-priced microfluidic chip. In our experiments, the frequency-dependent capacitive changes were characterized using MP (aluminum) samples (sizes ranging from 10 μm to 40 μm). Performance evaluation of the proposed system under test-bed conditions indicated that it is capable of real-time and continuous monitoring of airborne MPs (minimum size 10 μm) under an optimal frequency, with superior sensitivity and responsivity. Therefore, the proposed system can be used as an on-site MP sensor for unexpected airborne MP generation in precise manufacturing facilities where metal sources are used.

Thermoelastic Damping Limited Quality Factor Enhancement and Energy Dissipation Analysis of Rectangular Plate Resonators Using Nonclassical Elasticity Theory

“…Resonators. MEMS/NEMS resonators have been developed as pivotal components for sensing [1][2][3] and communication [4][5][6][7][8] applications, where increasing the sensitivity and resolution of devices is a decisive issue. Micro/nanoplates [9][10][11][12][13] are one of the paramount structures used extensively as micro/nanoresonators due to the advantages of their reduced dimensions, lower weight, surplus sensitivity, enhanced reliability, and elevated S/V ratios [14][15][16].…”