Atmospheric aerosol measurement using chip-scale optical devices

Atmospheric aerosols are known to be one of the major causes of ill health worldwide, with particular recent attention being paid to Ultrafine Particles (UFPs) of order 100 nm in size due to their ability to traverse the blood-brain barrier, and the placenta during pregnancy. However devices for monitoring such particles are generally bulky and expensive. This project works towards the development of miniaturised devices for UFP detection and analysis, using components that are compatible with handheld or even wearable instruments. The project involves building and testing the optical devices with aerosol samples, and analysing the data acquired in the context of aerosol science.