Collection efficiency of a midget impinger for nanoparticles in the range of 3–100 nm

Impingers have been employed for collection of biological particles for a long time and the collection efficiency for submicron particles has been well studied for a few impinger models, like the SKC Biosampler and the AGI 30. These efficiency studies have been limited to particles larger than about 15 nm. The aim of this research is to determine the collection efficiency of ultrafine particles (from 3 to 100 nm) of a 25 ml midget impinger. The effect of different collection parameters (particle type, collection fluid volume and type and flow rate) was studied and results are presented here. All results showed minimum collection efficiencies from 3 to 10% at approximately 40–57 nm. Increasing the volume of the collection liquid and flow rate improved the collection efficiency of the impinger.