Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 235504 (2009) [4 pages]

Low Fractal Dimension Cluster-Dilute Soot Aggregates from a Premixed Flame

Abstract

References

Citing Articles (9)

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Rajan K. Chakrabarty^1,2,*, Hans Moosmüller¹, W. Patrick Arnott^3,1, Mark A. Garro^1,4, Guoxun Tian^1,3, Jay G. Slowik⁵, Eben S. Cross⁶, Jeong-Ho Han⁶, Paul Davidovits⁶, Timothy B. Onasch⁷, and Douglas R. Worsnop⁷
¹Desert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, Nevada 89512, USA
²Chemical Physics Program, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
³Department of Physics, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA
⁴Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
⁵Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada
⁶Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467, USA
⁷Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, Massachusetts 01821, USA

Received 20 November 2008; published 12 June 2009

See accompanying Physics Focus

Using a novel morphology segregation technique, we observed minority populations (≈3%) of submicron-sized, cluster-dilute fractal-like aggregates, formed in the soot-formation window (fuel-to-air equivalence ratio of 2.0–3.5) of a premixed flame, to have mass fractal dimensions between 1.2 and 1.51. Our observations disagree with previous observations of a universal mass fractal dimension of ≈1.8 for fractal-like aerosol aggregates formed in the dilute-limit via three-dimensional diffusion-limited cluster aggregation processes. A hypothesis is presented to explain this observation. Subject to verification of this hypothesis, it may be possible to control the fractal dimension and associated properties of aggregates in the cluster-dilute limit through application of a static electric field during the aggregation process.

URL:

http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.235504

DOI:

10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.235504

PACS:

61.43.Hv, 64.60.al, 81.20.Rg, 82.70.Rr

^*Corresponding author.

Rajan.Chakrabarty@dri.edu

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 235504 (2009) [4 pages]

Low Fractal Dimension Cluster-Dilute Soot Aggregates from a Premixed Flame

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