Reversible control of the equilibrium size of a single aerosol droplet by change in relative humidity.
Noncontact levitation of single micrometer-sized water droplets in air can be achieved by a laser trapping technique. The equilibrium size of a water droplet is quite sensitive to relative humidity in the surrounding gas phase. In order to investigate the physical and chemical properties of single water droplets in air as a function of the droplet size or solute concentration, laser trapping experiments were conducted under controlled humidity conditions. In this study, we developed a trapping chamber equipped with a relative humidity controller and demonstrated the reversible control of the equilibrium size of a single droplet levitated in air through a change in relative humidity. Furthermore, relative humidity was successfully evaluated by means of cavity enhanced Raman spectroscopy of a trapped water droplet.
Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University.
Shoji
S
Ishizaka
Kunihiro
K
Yamauchi
Noboru
N
Kitamura