CuO NPs were generated continuously in situ

CuO NPs were generated continuously in situ before inhalation inside the ceramic reactor tube of a vertically oriented furnace (Carbolite, Hope Valley, UK) using thermal decomposition of metal-organic precursor copper(II) acetylacetonate (Aldrich, Milwaukee, WI, USA) and subsequent oxidation at a temperature of 700°C. The vapors of copper(II) acetylacetonate were generated from a solid form of copper(II) acetylacetonate in a saturator at 136°C and released vapors were transported by nitrogen (purity 99.999%, at a flow rate of 0.810 L/min) into the reactor, where the copper(II) acetylacetonate was oxidized in the presence of oxygen (99.99%, 0.33 L/min), added using a silica fused capillary (30 cm) inserted into a ceramic reactor tube. At the furnace output, CuO NPs were diluted with a U-HEPA filtrated air stream at a flow rate of 2.11 L/min and then split into two streams at a ratio of 1:1. Before entering the inhalation chamber; both streams were further diluted with a stream of purified humidified air (15 L/min) and used for whole-body inhalation experiments. The size and shape of generated CuO NPs were characterized by electron microscopy (EM). CuO NPs were collected by electrostatic precipitation using a nanometer aerosol sampler (model 3089, TSI) on EM grids (copper S160-4, 3 mm in diameter, 400 mesh grids, Agar Scientific, Electron Technology, Stansted, Essex, UK). The samples were examined using Morgagni™ 268 TEM (FEI Company, Eindhoven, Netherlands), working at 90 kV and equipped with a Veleta CCD camera (Olympus, Münster, Germany). The designated structures were measured using iTEM software. The micrograph showed that the CuO NPs in the air inside the inhalation cage, measured by Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (model 3972L, TSI, USA), were composed of agglomerates of primary particles with a diameter of 3-11 nm. If you are looking for high quality, high purity, and cost-effective copper oxide, or if you require the latest price of copper oxide, please feel free to email contact mis-asia.