Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

In this proposal, our team of co--applicants are requesting funds for the purchase of equipment that we will share to support our complementary and our respective areas of research. The diagnostic tools that we are requesting are essential for measuring the occurrences and velocities of microscale particles in air or aerosols. The equipment item we are keen on are the Fast Mobility Particle Sizer (FMPS) system. The FMPS is a state-of-the-art instrument adept at measuring aerosol particle size distributions in real-time. FMPS serves as a robust tool for real-time analysis of microscale particle dynamics. While it can provide comprehensive data on the size distribution of  sub-micron particles, helping understand how different particles behave, it is also essential for understanding the potential environmental and health implications of these particles. This makes the FMPS an invaluable tool for our intended research scope. The FMPS that the research team is requesting can be shifted between various experimental setups, laboratories, or testing locations. The research team is committed to implementing the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in relation to our teams, use of the equipment requested, and training opportunities. Given our extensive group of applicants and student users, we expect substantial usage of the equipment. Our collaborative spirit and the planned training using the equipment will amplify learning experiences for our trainees, equipping them with skills sought after by our industry and government affiliates. Our team of applicants and equipment users share research interests that tackle urgent queries linked to tire emissions, nanomaterial pollution, atmospheric pollution, manufacturing process emissions, indoor/aircraft -cabin air quality, and aerosol losses in carbon capture media. Our collective need for real-time particle size diagnostic tools with high sample rates for our research aligns our unique focus areas. Our assembly of applicants and users is also shaped by our co-funded research endeavors or research strategies. To illustrate, one of our shared research themes is bridging knowledge discrepancies between particle form and the emission, scattering, and conveyance of microplastics (such as tire wear) in the atmosphere, from both indoor microplastic contamination perspectives and the atmospheric route of these contaminants in urban and remote areas. In this instance, our research showcases immense potential to influence environmental safeguarding, policy-making, and health and safety protocols.