Photoelectron emitting member.

0001The present invention relates to a photoelectron emitting member providing a photoelectron effect.

0002Fine particles electrically charged with photo­electrons can be used in various applications such as (a) separation and classification of fine particles, as well as modifying their surfaces and controlling an electrically charged amount thereof; (b) the measurement of the concen­tration and size of fine particles in gases such as air and waste gases by using electrically charged fine particles; and (c) trapping and removal of charged fine particles to produce clean gases.

0003The present inventor has previously proposed any methods of electrically charging fine particles with photo­electrons that are emitted upon applying uv rays and/or other forms of radiation to a photoelectron emitting member and various applications of the thus formed photoelectron emitting member.

0004In the method of producing clean gases proposed by the present inventor, the following is particularly relevant to the present invention: Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (Laid-Open) Nos. 178050/1986 (corresponding to US Patent No. 4,750,917), 244459/1987, 77557/1988, 100955/1988 and 262954/1989.

0005With regard to the measurements, the following is proposed by the inventor: Japanese Patent Public Disclosure (Laid-Open) Nos. 242838/1987 and 47536/1990, and Japanese Patent Application No. 134781/1989.

0006With regard to the separation and classification, the following is proposed by the inventor: Japanese Patent Application No. 177198/1989.

0007Further, with regard to the conditions of electri­cally charging fine particles, the following is proposed by the inventor: Japanese Patent Application Nos. 120563/1989 and 120564/1989.

0008However, the conventional photoelectron emitting members were in a bulk-like (lump-like) form. Said members were limited in the amount of emitting photoelectrons they emitted and in the stability thereof, so there has been a need to modify such materials to provide for their improve­ment. The materials having a small work function which are capable of effective emission of photoelectrons are liable to deterioration and lack stability during prolonged operation.

0009It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a photoelectron emitting member that can be used in a consistent way over a prolonged period as well as being capable of effective emission of photoelectrons.

0010Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of electrically charging fine particles using said improved photoelectron emitting member.

0011Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of various applications using said improved photo­electron emitting member.

0012Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and drawings. <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for measuring fine particles suspended in air by a method according to an embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 2 is a partial cross section of the photo­electron emitting member used in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; and</li><li>Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the air cleaner used in Example 2 and Comparative Example.</li></ul>

0013The photoelectron emitting member to be used in the present invention has a multiplex structure composed of a matrix and a thin film serving as a protective film provided on said matrix. The matrix comprises elements, inorganic compounds, alloys, mixtures thereof or composites thereof which emit photoelectrons upon exposure to uv rays and/or other forms of radiation. The thin film comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of metals, metallic compounds, plastics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocar­bons and derivatives thereof which is film-forming and not thicker than 0.2 µm.

0014The matrix of the photoelectron emitting member may be made of any material that emits photoelectrons upon exposure to uv rays and/or other forms of radiation, and those materials which have a smaller photoelectric work function are preferred. From the viewpoints of efficiency and economy, the matrix is preferably made of either one of Ba, Sr, Ca, Y, Gd, La, Ce, Nd, Th, Pr, Be, Zr, Fe, Ni, Zn, Cu, Ag, Pt, Cd, Pb, Al, C, Mg, Au, In, Bi, Nb, Si, Ta, Ti, U, B, Eu, Sn and P, or compounds or alloys thereof. These materials may be used either on their own or as admixtures. Composites of these materials are also usable and an example is a physical composite such as an amalgam.

0015Compounds that can be used as matrix materials are oxide, borides and carbides. Exemplary oxides include BaO, SrO, CaO, Y₂O₆, Gd₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, ThO₂, ZrO₂, Fe₂O₃, ZnO, CuO, Ag₂O, La₂O₃, PtO, PbO, Al₂O₃, MgO, In₂O₃, BiO, NbO and BaO; exemplary borides include YB₆, CdB₆, LaB₆, NdB₅, CeB₆, EuB₆, PrB₆ and ZrB₂; and exemplary carbides include UC, ZrC, TaC, TiC and NbC.

0016Alloys that can be used as matrix materials are brass, bronze, phosphor bronze, alloys of Ag and Mg (2 - 20 wt% Mg), alloys of Cu and Be (1 - 10 wt% Be) and alloys of Ba and Al. Alloys of Ag-Mg, Cu-Be and Ba-Al systems are preferable.

0017The matrix materials described above may be used in various shapes including a flat plate, a pleated plate, a grid and a screen, with the surface being optionally roughened to provide asperities. Projections on the surface may have pointed or spherical tips. An optimum shape of the matrix can be determined from the results of preliminary testing in consideration of such factors as the size of equipment, its configuration, the type of photoelectron emitting member used, the manner in which an electric field is applied, operational efficiency and economy.

0018In the next place, the thin film which serves as a protective film on the matrix is described below.

0019The thin film may be made of any material that permits the passage of photoelectrons emitted from the matrix and that protects the surface of the matrix. The use of electroconductive material is effective and hence preferred in most cases. Such conductive materials may be coated or deposited as a thin film by an appropriate method, such as ion plating, sputtering, evaporation, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), forming an oxide layer on the surface of the conductive material by heat treatment, or forming a membrane by treating the conductive material with a chemical. These methods may be appropriately employed for the specific case of interest.

0020Exemplary conductive materials include Au, Ag, Al, Pb, Ti and Ni, which may be used as appropriate. Also usable are TiN, TiCN, TiAlN, HfN, ZrN, CrN, TaC, TiC, plastics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives thereof. An exemplary plastic material is an epoxy resin, and an exemplary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is benzpyrene.

0021The thickness of the thin film should be such that it is thin enough to permit the passage of photoelectrons emitted from the matrix but thick enough to protect the sur­face of the matrix. The thin film usually has a thickness of up to 0.2 µm, preferably up to 0.05 µm, and an optimum thickness can be determined from the results of preliminary testing in consideration of the material of which the matrix of the photoelectron emitting member and the thin film provided on it is to be made, the shape in which said member is to be used, the manner in which an electric field is to be applied, and the operational efficiency.

0022In accordance with the present invention, the thin film provided on the matrix made of a material having a small work function protects the matrix from the adverse effect of the ambient atmosphere (air in the case being considered), whereby the emission of photoelectrons is stabilized and sustained for a prolonged period.

0023The application of uv rays and/or other forms of radiation to the photoelectron emitting member is now described below. Any source of uv rays may be used as long as the photoelectron emitting member will emit photo­electrons upon irradiation with uv rays, and exemplary sources are a mercury lamp, a hydrogen discharge tube, a xenon discharge tube and a Lyman discharge tube. Other forms of radiation may be employed as long as the photo­electron emitting member will emit photoelectrons upon exposure to such radiation, and examples are α-rays, β-rays and γ-rays. Suitable radiation sources include radioiso­topes such as cobalt 60, cesium 137 and strontium 90, radio­active wastes produced in nuclear reactors, and radioactive materials prepared by processing such radioactive wastes in an appropriate way. The choice of a suitable uv or radia­tion source depends on such factors as the shape of a charg­ing section used, the field of its application, the required precision of measurement, and economy.

0024Effective emission of photoelectrons from the photo­electron emitting member is insured by applying uv rays and/or other forms of radiation to the photoelectron emit­ting member in an electric field. The choice of an appro­priate method for forming an electric field depends on such factors as the shape of a charging section used, its construction, the field of its application and the effect desired. The strength of electric field to be applied can be properly determined in consideration of such factors as concentration of concomitant water and the type of photo­electron emitting member used, and detailed information can be found in the specification of another commonly assigned invention. As a guide, an electric field having an inten­sity of from 2 volts/cm to 2 kilovolts/cm may be applied.

0025Electrodes that are used in applying an electric field may be made of any material in any construction commonly employed in ordinary charging devices. For instance, tungsten wires or rods may be used as electrodes.

0026Measurement of fine particle suspended in the air by the method of the present invention is specifically described below with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 1 shows schematically a measuring apparatus that uses classi­fying plates for classifying charged fine particles and an electrometer as a detector. Air 1 containing suspended fine particles that is preliminarily cleaned of coarse particles larger than 10 µm by means of a suitable device such as an impactor (not shown) is introduced into the apparatus through an intake port. In a charging section A₁, the introduced fine particles are electrically charged with photoelectrons emitted from a photoelectron emitting surface 3 upon irradiation with uv rays from a uv source 2.

0027The charging section A₁ is chiefly composed of the uv lamp 2, the photoelectron emitting member 3 and electrodes 4. In the charging section A₁, an electric field is formed between the photoelectron emitting member 3 and each of the electrodes 4, so that photoelectrons will be effectively emitted from the surface of the member 3 upon illumination with the uv lamp 2. The fine particles in the air 1 intro­duced through the intake port are electrically charged by the action of the emitted photoelectrons.

0028The charged fine particles are classified in a classifying section B₁. The classifying section B₁ has a compact and simple construction for classifying the charged fine particles and performs the function of classifying them in response to the charge in the voltage supplied to the classifying plates.

0029The operation of the classifying plates 7 and 8 having pores 5 and 6 is described below. An electric field as produced from a power source is formed between these two classifying plates 7 and 8. Let the total number of charged fine particles in the classifying section B₁ be written as b₁. First, a weak electric field a₁ is formed between the plates 7 and 8, whereupon the charged particles b₂ that are small enough to be subjected to the action of the weak electric field are trapped on the classifying plates. As a result, the amount of electric charge d₁ on the remaining coarse particles (b₁ - b₂) is measured in the detecting section C₁ composed of an electrometer 9 positioned down­stream of the classifying plates, whereby the concentration of the coarse particles is determined.

0030In the next place, an electric field a₂ stronger than a₁ is formed between the classifying plates 7 and 8, where­upon the charged particles b₃ that are coarser than b₂ are subjected to the action of that strong field and are trapped on the classifying plates. As a result, the amount of electric charge on the remaining coarse particles (b₁ - b₃) is measured with the electrometer 9. In subsequent steps, the electric field applied to the classifying plates is properly changed to perform similar measurements of the electric charge on the charged particles.

0031Thus, the step of classification as combined with the measurement of the concentration of fine particles will provide information on the particle size distribution of the fine particles suspended in the air 1 at the intake port as well as the concentrations of the particles in respective size ranges.

0032In section C₁, the charged fine particles classified in the classifying section B₁ are detected with the electro­meter 9. The electometer 9 may be of any type that is capable of measuring the amount of charge on the classified particles to provide information on the concentration of classified particles. Shown by 10 is an air outlet.

0033The photoelectron emitting member 3 used in the apparatus under consideration comprises a ZrC matrix coated with an Au film having a thickness of 0.01 µm.

0034The structure of the photoelectron emitting member 3 which is the characterizing portion of the present invention is described below with reference to Fig. 2, in which the photoelectron emitting member is partly shown in cross section. The photoelectron emitting member 3 is composed of a matrix 11 typically made of a material having a small photoelectric work function, and a thin film 12 on the matrix 11 which serves as a protective film for it.

0035As already mentioned hereinabove, the matrix 11 of the photoelectron emitting member 3 may be made of any material that is capable of emitting photoelectrons upon exposure to uv rays and/or other forms of radiation. Materials having a smaller photoelectric work function are preferred. The thin film 12 serving as the protective film on the matrix 11 may also be made of any material that permits the passage of photoelectrons emitted from the matrix and that protects its surface.

0036In the case shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the photoelectron emitting member 3 is of a dual structure consisting of the matrix 11 and the thin film 12 provided on it. Needless to say, the photoelectron emitting member 3 may be of a triplex structure in which either the matrix 11 or the thin film 12 provided on it is composed of more than one layer. If desired, a multiplex structure can be fabricated by further increasing the number of layers of which the matrix 11 or the thin film 12 is composed.

Examples

0037The following examples are provided for the purpose of further illustrating the present invention but are in no way to be taken as limiting.

Example 1

0038A thin gold or silver film was vapor-deposited on the surface of the matrix of a photoelectron emitting member, and the amount of photoelectrons emitted into the atmosphere was measured with an open-air, uv excited photoelectron analyzer. The matrix was made of ZrC. The results obtained with ZrC shown below, in which the data refers to the amount of photoelectrons emitted per second and raised to the one-­half power, Y. <tables id="tabl0001" num="0001"><table frame="all"><title>Table 1</title><tgroup cols="8" colsep="1" rowsep="1"><colspec colnum="1" colname="col1" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="2" colname="col2" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="3" colname="col3" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="4" colname="col4" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="5" colname="col5" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="6" colname="col6" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="7" colname="col7" colwidth="19.68mm" /><colspec colnum="8" colname="col8" colwidth="19.68mm" /><thead valign="top"><row><entry namest="col1" nameend="col1" rowsep="0" align="center">Matrix</entry><entry namest="col2" nameend="col8" align="center">Vapor-deposited film</entry></row><row><entry namest="col1" nameend="col1" rowsep="0" /><entry namest="col2" nameend="col2" rowsep="0" align="left">None</entry><entry namest="col3" nameend="col5" align="center">Au (µm)</entry><entry namest="col6" nameend="col8" align="center">Ag (µm)</entry></row><row><entry namest="col1" nameend="col1" /><entry namest="col2" nameend="col2" /><entry namest="col3" nameend="col3" align="center">1.0</entry><entry namest="col4" nameend="col4" align="center">0.05</entry><entry namest="col5" nameend="col5" align="center">0.01</entry><entry namest="col6" nameend="col6" align="center">1.0</entry><entry namest="col7" nameend="col7" align="center">0.05</entry><entry namest="col8" nameend="col8" align="center">0.01</entry></row></thead><tbody valign="top"><row rowsep="1"><entry namest="col1" nameend="col1" align="left">ZrC</entry><entry namest="col2" nameend="col2" align="char" char=".">26.5</entry><entry namest="col3" nameend="col3" align="char" char=".">17.0</entry><entry namest="col4" nameend="col4" align="char" char=".">28.0</entry><entry namest="col5" nameend="col5" align="char" char=".">30.5</entry><entry namest="col6" nameend="col6" align="char" char=".">18.5</entry><entry namest="col7" nameend="col7" align="char" char=".">29.5</entry><entry namest="col8" nameend="col8" align="char" char=".">33.5</entry></row></tbody></tgroup></table></tables>

0039Y of Au and Ag in a bulk-like form is as follows: Au: 11.0, Ag: 13.5

Example 2

0040The performance of an air cleaner having the construction shown in Fig. 3 was checked with a particle measuring apparatus, with cigarette smoke being supplied at a rate of 5 ℓ/min after dilution with air. The photo­electron emitting member used comprised a ZrC matrix on which was vapor-deposited a gold film in a thickness of 0.01 µm as in Example 1. A low-pressure mercury lamp was used as a uv source. An electric field of 50 volts/cm was applied between the mercury lamp and each electrode. As shown in Fig. 3, the air cleaner consisted of the photo­electron emitting member 3, mercury lamp 2′, electrodes 4 and a dust collector plate 14. The cigarette smoke was admitted through an inlet 13 and discharged from an outlet 15. The smoke was found to contain 5.3 × 10⁶ particles per liter at the inlet, and only 210 particles per liter at the outlet. The test was continuously operated for one month and no change in its efficiency was found.

Comparative Example

0041The test procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the photoelectron emitting member was solely composed of ZrC. The cigarette smoke was found to contain 5.2 × 10⁶ particles per liter at the inlet, and it still contained as many as 15.3 × 10³ particles at the outlet. The test was continued and 18.05 × 10⁴ particles per liter were found after three days with 38.11 × 10⁴ particles per liter at the outlet.

0042The present invention offers the following advantages. <ul id="ul0002" list-style="none"><li>1. The photoelectron emitting member is composed of a matrix that is made of a material having a small work func­tion (which is responsible for emitting photoelectrons) and a thin film formed on the matrix (which serves to protect the photoelectron emitting matrix) and, hence, <ul id="ul0003" list-style="none"><li>(i) the use of a matrix material that has a small enough work function to provide enhanced emission of photo­electrons insures improved efficiency, and the protected matrix surface permits consistent operation for a prolonged time;</li><li>(ii) the enhanced and consistent emission of photo­electrons leads to effective charging of fine particles (i.e., efficient charging can be performed for a prolonged period); and</li><li>(iii) the effective charging of fine particles enables the use of a small (compact) apparatus and contributes to a larger throughput in processing.</li></ul></li><li>2. Because of the advantages described above, the following benefits are achieved in various fields of application: <ul id="ul0004" list-style="none"><li>(i) In measurement applications, <ul id="ul0005" list-style="none"><li>a. the measurement precision is improved and consistent results are attained for a prolonged period;</li><li>b. a particularly great improvement is achieved in the precise measurement of superfine (&lt;0.1 µm) particles;</li></ul></li><li>(ii) In applications where clean gases or liquids are to be obtained, <ul id="ul0006" list-style="none"><li>a. improved performance is attained for a prolonged period;</li><li>b. the apparatus size is reduced and the throughput of processing is increased;</li></ul></li><li>(iii) In applications where particle separation, classi­fication, surface modification or other control is to be performed, <ul id="ul0007" list-style="none"><li>a. improved performance is attained for a prolonged period;</li><li>b. the apparatus size is reduced and the throughput of processing is increased; and</li><li>c. a particularly great improvement is achieved in the efficiency of processing superfine (&lt;0.1 µm) particles.</li></ul></li></ul></li></ul>