Measurement of absorbing aerosols with piezo-electric filters from Polyvinylidenefluoride -PVDF- First results

The measuring principle consists in using a piezoelectric PVDF-filter on which the aerosol particles are collected. The filter surface is then intermittently irradiated with light pulses of a wavelength which is absorbed by the particles but not by the electrode material. Therefore the energy absorbed in a thin layer is proportional to the particle mass (for a constant size distribution) and thermalized. By heat conduction, part of this energy is converted into a charge pulse by the above-described mechanisms. The filters are produced by heavy ion irradiation and subsequent nuclear track etching. (ITA)