Exposure to airborne particles is detrimental to human health and indoor exposures dominate total exposures for most people. The accidental or intentional release of aerosolized chemical and biological agents within or near a building can lead to exposures of building occupants to hazardous agents and costly building remediation. Particle deposition in heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems may significantly influence exposures to particles indoors, diminish HVAC performance and lead to secondary pollutant release within buildings. This dissertation advances the understanding of particle behavior in HVAC systems and the fates of indoor particles by means of experiments and modeling. Laboratory experiments were conducted to quantify particle deposition rates in horizontal ventilation ducts using real HVAC materials. Particle deposition experiments were conducted in steel and internally insulated ducts at air speeds typically found in ventilation ducts, 2-9 m/s. Behaviors of monodisperse particles with diameters in the size range 1-16 {micro}m were investigated. Deposition rates were measured in straight ducts with a fully developed turbulent flow profile, straight ducts with a developing turbulent flow profile, in duct bends and at S-connector pieces located at duct junctions. In straight ducts with fully developed turbulence, experiments showed deposition rates to be highest at duct floors, …

The motivation of this work is to develop high reflectance normal-incidence multilayer mirrors in the 8-12 nm wavelength region for applications in astronomy and extreme ultraviolet lithography. To achieve this goal, Mo/Sr and Mo/Y multilayers were studied. These multilayers were deposited with a UHV magnetron sputtering system and their reflectances were measured with synchrotron radiation. High normal-incidence reflectances of 23% at 8.8 nm, 40.8% at 9.4 nm, and 48.3% at 10.5 nm were achieved. However, the reflectance of Mo/Sr multilayers decreased rapidly after exposure to air. Attempts to use thin layers of carbon to passivate the surface of Mo/Sr multilayers were unsuccessful. Experimental results on the refractive index {tilde n} = 1-{delta} + i{beta} of yttrium and molybdenum in the 50-1300 eV energy region are reported in this work. This is the first time ever that values on the refractive index of yttrium are measured in this energy range. The absorption part {beta} was determined through transmittance measurements. The dispersive part {delta} was calculated by means of the Kramers-Kronig formalism. The newly determined values of the refractive index of molybdenum are in excellent agreement with the published data. Those of yttrium are more accurate and contain fine structures around the …

The penetration of ambient air pollutants into the indoor environment is of concern owing to several factors: (1) epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between ambient fine particulate pollution and elevated risk of human mortality; (2) people spend most of their time in indoor environments; and (3) most information about air pollutant concentration is only available from ambient routine monitoring networks. A good understanding of ambient air pollutant transport from source to receptor requires knowledge about pollutant penetration across building envelopes. Therefore, it is essential to gain insight into particle penetration in infiltrating air and the factors that affect it in order to assess human exposure more accurately, and to further prevent adverse human health effects from ambient particulate pollution. In this dissertation, the understanding of air pollutant infiltration across leaks in the building envelope was advanced by performing modeling predictions as well as experimental investigations. The modeling analyses quantified the extent of airborne particle and reactive gas (e.g., ozone) penetration through building cracks and wall cavities using engineering analysis that incorporates existing information on building leakage characteristics, knowledge of pollutant transport processes, as well as pollutant-surface interactions. Particle penetration is primarily governed by particle diameter and by the …