A microchannel (1) having a spiral geometry structured with asymmetrical curls (2) that enables separation of metastasis cancer cells rarely found in blood from the blood cells and enrichment thereof, which forces the particles or the cells to focus quicker and where high-quality particle focusing in a wider flow rate range can be performed.

A particle detector for rapidly detecting and identifying sub 20 nm particles in Ultra Pure Water (UPW) is disclosed. The detector has a nano particle extractor, a nanoparticle collector, and a tracer particle introducer. The extractor limits the size of droplets output to a predetermined size. The extractor includes (1) a liquid sample inlet, (2) a nebulizer connected to the liquid sample inlet (the nebulizer has a gas supply, and an outlet), (3) an impactor arranged to receive material output from the nebulizer, (4) an evaporator connected to the nebulizer and impactor for providing an aerosol at the extractor outlet, and (5) an aerosol connected to the evaporator. The collector us connected to the extractor and has: (1) a collector inlet connected to the aerosol outlet of the extractor, (2) a vapor condensation growth tube connected to the collector inlet, and (3) a repositionable particle capture plate arranged to receive material output from the growth tube at spatially varying positions. The tracer particle introducer is connected to the liquid sample inlet of the extractor. It includes a tracer particle supply connected to a pump which is connected to the extractor. A method for rapid identification of sub−20 nm particles in UPW is also disclosed.

A system and method to measure a size distribution of particles based on their electrical mobility. The method includes: introducing, via a sheath flow inlet, a particle free sheath flow into a chamber formed by two parallel walls which are separated by a gap, the chamber having a width and a length, the sheath flow having a direction along the length of the chamber and flowing a laminar manner; introducing an aerosol sample flow into the chamber downstream of the sheath inlet such that the aerosol sample flow joins the particle free sheath flow in a laminar manner; applying an electric field between the two parallel walls of the chamber, the field having a strength which varies across the width of the chamber; extracting an output aerosol flow through a first outlet downstream of the sample inlet; and outputting an excess flow equal to a sum of the sheath flow and aerosol sample flow minus the output aerosol flow. The method may also include: passing the output aerosol flow through a growth cell in a laminar manner, the growth cell having a region of wetted walls with two or more temperature regions such that the particles within the output aerosol flow grow by condensation to form droplets, and such that relative positions of droplets are indicative of particle electrical mobility; and counting and capturing a spatial position of individual droplets exiting the growth cell.

Techniques relate to forming a sorting device. A mesh is formed on top of a substrate. Metal assisted chemical etching is performed to remove substrate material of the substrate at locations of the mesh. Pillars are formed in the substrate by removal of the substrate material. The mesh is removed to leave the pillars in a nanopillar array. The pillars in the nanopillar array are designed with a spacing to sort particles of different sizes such that the particles at or above a predetermined dimension are sorted in a first direction and the particles below the predetermined dimension are sorted in a second direction.

A selective-sorting system for aerosol droplets in human breath includes a mouthpiece to receive a flow of human breath, and a flow path coupled to the mouthpiece. This flow path includes one or more bends that cause the flow of human breath to change direction, which causes aerosol droplets in the flow having different mass-sizes to change direction at different rates. Moreover, the flow path is shaped so that droplets that change direction at different rates are directed to different destinations. The system also includes a collection path, which is coupled to the flow path so that aerosol droplets meeting a specific mass-size criterion are directed into the collection path. A condenser tube is located in the collection path, wherein the condenser tube includes a cooling mechanism that cools the condenser tube to facilitate condensing aerosol droplets to sides of the condenser tube for subsequent collection.

A triaxial test apparatus for measuring eroded soil particles under action of seepage force includes a constant-flow seepage system, a soil particle transport grading measurement system, a large-range volume pressure control vacuum system and a data processing and analyzing system, where the constant-flow seepage system is connected to the soil particle transport grading measurement system and the large-range volume pressure control vacuum system by means of pipelines separately, the data processing and analyzing system includes a data acquisition device and a computer, the constant-flow seepage system, the soil particle transport grading measurement system and the large-range volume pressure control vacuum system are connected to the data acquisition device by means of lines separately, and the computer is connected to the data acquisition device by means of a line.

Extracting and concentrating particles from a first fluid sample includes: providing the first fluid sample to a fluid exchange module of a microfluidic device, providing a second fluid sample to the fluid exchange module, in which the first fluid sample and the second fluid sample are provided under conditions such that particle-free portions of the first fluid sample are shifted, and an inertial lift force causes the particles in the first fluid sample to cross streamlines and transfer into the second fluid sample; passing the second fluid sample containing the transferred particles to a particle concentration module under conditions such that particle-free portions of the second fluid sample are shifted, and such that the particles within the second fluid sample are focused to a streamline within the particle concentration module.

The present invention provides a measuring kit that is able to shorten sampling times of germs (bacteria, etc.) and molds (fungi, etc.) which differ from each other in airborne size range, allow selective sampling, and rapidly output relative proportions of bacterial and fungal particles per mass of particulate matter through calculation.

Articles of manufacture, including an apparatus for omnidirectional spiral surface acoustic wave generation, are provided. An acoustic wave device that generates a plurality of acoustic wave includes a piezoelectric material to convert electric energy into the plurality of acoustic waves. The acoustic wave device also includes a transducer. The transducer includes a plurality of fingers arranged in a spiral formation. The plurality of acoustic waves induce acoustic streaming along the piezoelectric material in multiple directions to isolate a fluid component within a fluid located on the acoustic wave device.

A wear debris collection device includes a rotation body that is connected to a rotation shaft and performs rotating movement in accordance with rotation of the rotation shaft, a braking member that brakes the rotating movement of the rotation body, a hood covering the rotation body and the braking member and to prevent dust from entering from outside, a blower that blows air into the hood, a collection apparatus that suctions air in the hood and collects wear debris of the braking member contained in the air, and an air pressure adjuster that measures air pressure in the hood and external air pressure and adjusts an air quantity of at least one of the blower and the collection apparatus so that the air pressure in the hood equals the external air pressure.