Q-Space analysis applied to polydisperse, dense random aggregates

Polydisperse powders of spherical shell particles and nonspherical, three dimensionally dense aggregates were dispersed as turbulent jets through an abrupt orifice nozzle and in-situ small angle light scattering measurements were made. In contrast to traditional studies, the light scattering data were plotted versus the scattering wave vector rather than the scattering angle; we call this q-space analysis. For dense aggregates distinct power law trends emerged, similar to those discovered previously for spherical Mie scatterers. Moreover, when the system was very polydisperse, either with a broad bimodal or monotonic with extreme range, the q-space analysis provided particle size distribution information about these aerosol systems which was unapparent when plotted as a function of the scattering angle.