The working principle of a DMA involves the generation of an aerosol of the nanoparticles to be analyzed. These particles are then passed through a column with an applied electric field. Particles with different sizes and charges will have different electrical mobilities and will therefore be deflected by the electric field to varying extents. By controlling the electric field strength and the flow rate of the carrier gas, particles of specific mobilities (and thus sizes) can be selected and measured.
