Nano and microparticles emission during laser cleaning of stone

摘要

Air contaminants which emerge during laser ablation often cause health risks if released in the workplace and decrease laser cleaning efficiency if redeposited at the material surface. In addition, ultra-fine particles are generated if short laser pulses are applied. Consequently, a description of the nano and microparticle aerosol generation and the influence of the laser parameters, such as fluence and pulse energy, and type of material surface on the particle size distribution is given in the presented paper. The conducted experiments have shown that for applied laser fluences almost 80% of all emitted particles are in the nanoparticle size range of 30-100 nm. The high respirability of such particles can pose health risks, so suitable capture systems near to the processing zone or personal protective equipment such as respiratory masks are required.