Direct deposition of aerosol particles on an ATR crystal for FTIR spectroscopy using an electrostatic precipitator

An electrostatic precipitator (ESP) has been developed for collecting aerosol samples for attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) from an aerosol chamber. The ESP deposits the aerosol particles directly onto the ATR crystal with high efficiency. The ESP-ATR spectra are observed to agree well with the spectrum of a filter sample, transferred by impression. ZnSe ATR crystals have been found most suitable for electrostatic precipitation due to surface hardness, transmission characteristics and deposition behavior. ESP-ATR-FTIR spectroscopy might be a powerful tool not only for in situ but also for online measurements of aerosols.