Filtration assembly comprising a filter and a filter support and associated method for the collection and analysis of nanoparticles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9849414-B2
Application number	US-201314410499-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2013
Priority date	Jun 20, 2012
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A filtration assembly for filtering nanoparticles includes a filter having pores that can retain nanoparticles likely to be found in an air flow passing through the filter and a filter support including two parts. A lower base-forming part of the filter support includes a peripheral bearing surface on which the filter can rest. An upper ring-shaped part of the filter support is designed to be mounted around the bearing surface of the base. By mounting the ring around the bearing surface of the base it is possible to tension the filter radially to the direction of mounting. The mounting clearance between the ring and the bearing surface of the base is dimensioned such as to maintain the filter resting on the bearing surface under mechanical stress by means of pinching, in a direction radial to the mounting direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filtration assembly for filtering nanoparticles, comprising:
a filter having pores that are configured to retain within them nanoparticles that are likely to be present in an air flow intended to pass through the filter,
a filter support including two parts, the two parts being:
a lower cylindrical base including an annular bearing surface at a radially inner periphery of the lower cylindrical base on which the filter can rest, thus delimiting a position of a plane of the filter in relation to the filter support, the lower cylindrical base having a planar support radially outward of the annular bearing surface, the annular bearing surface extending from the planar support in an axial direction of the lower cylindrical base; and
an upper ring-shaped part configured to be mounted about an outer periphery of the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base and on the planar support,

wherein, in a mounted position of the filter, the upper ring-shaped part is mounted about an outer periphery of the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base and on the planar support, and the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base projects beyond the upper ring-shaped part in the axial direction and is configured (i) to mechanically retain the upper ring-shaped part and (ii) to tension the filter in a direction radial to the mounting direction, a mounting clearance between the upper ring-shaped part and the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base being dimensioned such as to maintain the filter resting on the annular bearing surface under mechanical stress by pinching, in a direction radial to the mounting direction.

2. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base and an internal edge of the upper ring-shaped part have a radius of curvature of between 0.3 and 0.8 mm.

3. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the filter has a thickness of between 10 and 50 μm.

4. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the pores of the filter are holes with a calibrated diameter of between 0.05 and 2 μm.

5. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the density of the holes of the filter is between a number of 10 5 and 5×10 8 holes per cm 2 .

6. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the constituent material of the filter is a polymer selected from the group consisting of the saturated polyesters, polycarbonates, aromatic polyethers, polysulfones, polyolefins, polyacrylates, polyamides, polyimides, acetates and cellulose nitrates.

7. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the filter is made of polycarbonate (PC).

8. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper ring-shaped part and the lower cylindrical base are made from a plastic material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyamide 6 (PA6), polyamide 66 (PA66), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyoxymethylene copolymer (POM-C), and polyether ether ketone (PEEK).

9. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the one or more plastic material(s) of the upper ring-shaped part and of the lower cylindrical base include one or a plurality of additives.

10. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base projects for a distance h of between 10 and 1500 μm in relation to the upper ring-shaped part in the mounted position.

11. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the planar support constitutes the bottom of an accommodating throat for the upper ring-shaped part in the lower cylindrical base in the mounted position.

12. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the mounting clearance between the upper ring-shaped part and the annular bearing surface of the lower cylindrical base is between 50 and 250 μm.

13. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower cylindrical base has a periphery including an identification area on which an identification label of the filter may be arranged.

14. The filtration assembly as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the identification label is selected from the group consisting of an alphanumeric code, a bidimensional code, of the data matrix type and an electronic chip.

15. A method of collection and analysis of nanoparticles according to which the following stages are carried out:
providing the filtration assembly as claimed in claim 1 ;
aspirating an air flow that is likely to be charged with nanoparticles across the tensioned filter of the filtration assembly;
introducing the filtration assembly into a fluorescence spectrometer X; and
analyzing, by X-ray fluorescence, the nanoparticles retained by the filter.

16. The method of collection and analysis as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the rate of aspiration of the air flow through the filter is between 0.1 and 10 L·min −1 .

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique
• Nanoinspect
• Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives

Inventors

• Clavaguera Simon
• Decolin Eric
• Guiot Arnaud
• Hebert Guillaume
• Jacquinot Sebastien
• Motellier Sylvie

Classifications

• B01D46/247

  of the cells · CPC title

• B01D46/009

  Identification of filter type or position thereof, e.g. by transponders or bar codes · CPC title

• B01D63/087 Primary

  Single membrane modules · CPC title

• B01D46/0005 Primary

  Mounting of filtering elements within casings, housings or frames (B01D46/2422 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N23/223

  by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence · CPC title