Does liquid-liquid phase separation impact ice nucleation in mixed polyethylene glycol and ammonium sulfate droplets?

Particles can undergo different phase transitions in the atmosphere including deliquescence, liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS), melting, and freezing. In this study, phase transitions of particles/droplets containing polyethylene glycol with a molar mass of 400 g mol^-1 (PEG400) and ammonium sulfate (AS), i.e., PEG400-AS particles/droplets, were investigated at different organic-to-inorganic dry mass ratios (OIRs) under typical tropospheric temperatures and water activities (a_w). The investigated droplets (60-100 μm) with or without LLPS in the closed system froze through homogeneous ice nucleation. At temperatures lower than 200 K, multiple ice nucleation events were observed within the same individual droplets at low a_w. Droplets with and without LLPS shared similar lambda values at the same OIR according to the lambda approach indicating they form ice through the same mechanism. A parameterization of lambda values was provided which can be used to predict freezing temperature of aqueous PEG400-AS droplets. We found that adding AS reduces the temperature dependence of a_w in aqueous PEG400 droplets. Assuming incorrectly that a_w is temperature-independent for a constant droplet composition leads to a deviation between the experimental determined ice nucleation rate coefficients for droplets at OIR > 1 and the predicted values by the water-activity-based ice nucleation theory. We proposed a parameterization of temperature dependence of a_w to minimize the deviations of the measured melting temperatures and nucleation rate coefficients from the corresponding predictions for aqueous PEG400-AS system.

A review of efflorescence kinetics studies on atmospherically relevant particles

The efflorescence transitions of aerosol particles have been intensively investigated due to their critical impacts on global climate and atmospheric chemistry. In the present study, we present a critical review of efflorescence kinetics focusing on three key issues: the efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) and the influence factors for aerosol ERH (e.g. particle sizes, and temperature); efflorescence processes of mixed aerosols, concerning the effect of coexisting inorganic and organic components on the efflorescence of inorganic salts; homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation rates of pure and mixed aerosols. Among the previous studies, there are significant discrepancies for measured aerosol ERH under even the same conditions. Moreover, the interactions between organic and inorganic components remain largely unclear, causing efflorescence transition behaviours and chemical composition evolutions of certain mixed systems to be debatable. Thus, it is important to better understand efflorescence to gain insights into the physicochemical properties and characterize observed efflorescence characteristics of atmospheric particles, as well as guide further studies on aerosol hygroscopicity and reactivity.

Hygroscopic properties of sodium and potassium salts as related to saline mineral dusts and sea salt aerosols

Mineral dust, soil, and sea salt aerosols are among the most abundant primary inorganic aerosols in the atmosphere, and their hygroscopicity affects the hydrological cycle and global climate. We investigated the hygroscopic behaviors of six Na- and K-containing salts commonly found in those primary organic aerosols. Their hygroscopic growths as a function of relative humidity (RH) agree well with thermodynamic model prediction. Temperature dependence of deliquescence RH (DRH) values for five of those salts was also investigated, which are comparable to those in literature within 1%-2% RH, most showing negative dependence on temperature. Hygroscopic growth curves of real-world soil and sea salt samples were also measured. The hygroscopic growths of two more-hydroscopic saline soil samples and of sea salt can be predicted by the thermodynamic model based on the measured water-soluble ionic composition. The substantial amounts of water-soluble ions, including Na⁺ and K⁺, in saline soil samples imply that even nascent saline soil samples are quite hygroscopic at high-RH (>80%) conditions. For three less-hygroscopic dust samples, however, measurements showed higher water uptake ability than that predicted by the thermodynamic model. The small amount of water taken up by less-hygroscopic dust samples suggests that dust particles might contain thin layers of water even to very low RH. The results of this study provide a comprehensive characterization of the hygroscopicity of Na- and K-containing salts as related to their roles in the hygroscopic behaviors of saline mineral dusts and sea salt aerosols.

Characterizing Hygroscopic Materials via Droplet Evaporation

Hygroscopic materials are widely used as desiccants for applications including food production, packaging, anti-icing, and gas storage. Current techniques for quantifying the hygroscopicity of materials, such as the use of a tandem differential mobility analyzer or a gravimetric vapor sorption analyzer, require complex and expensive setups. Here, we show that the hygroscopicity of any bulk material can be simply characterized by suspending it above a deposited droplet and measuring the droplet's evaporation rate. By controlling the temperature of the droplet to correspond to the dew point, we ensured that any evaporation was directly correlated with diffusive transport into the low-pressure hygroscopic material. Using Fick's law, the effective water vapor concentration of each material was extracted and nondimensionalized by the saturation concentration to obtain a hygroscopic index. This nondimensional index ranges from 0 (no hygroscopicity) to 1 (null vapor pressure) and can also be conceptualized as 1 - a_w, where a_w is the material's water activity.

Adsorption Capacities of Hygroscopic Materials Based on NaCl-TiO2 and NaCl-SiO2 Core/Shell Particles

Hygroscopic materials which possess high moisture adsorption capacity were successfully upgraded by the functionalization of sodium chloride (NaCl) using two nuances of oxides. A procedure was developed to first prepare submicron-sized NaCl crystals; thereafter, these crystals were coated by choice of either titanium dioxide (TiO2) or silica (SiO2) to enhance the hygroscopic properties of NaCl and prevent its premature deliquescence. After coating, several analytical techniques were employed to evaluate the obtained composite materials. Our findings revealed that both composites NaCl-TiO2 and NaCl-SiO2 gave excellent performances by exhibiting interesting hydrophilic properties, compared to the sole NaCl. This was demonstrated by both environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) and water vapor adsorption experiments. In particular, NaCl-TiO2 composite showed the highest water adsorption capacity at low relative humidity and at a faster adsorption rate, induced by the high surface energy owing to the presence of TiO2. This result was also confirmed by the kinetics of adsorption, which revealed that not only does NaCl-TiO2 adsorb more water vapor than NaCl-SiO2 or sole NaCl but also the adsorption occurred at a much higher rate. While at room temperature and high relative humidity, the NaCl-SiO2 composite showed the best adsorption properties making it ideal to be used as a hygroscopic material, showing maximum adsorption performance compared to NaCl-TiO2 or sole NaCl. Therefore, NaCl-TiO2 and NaCl-SiO2 composites could be considered as promising hygroscopic materials and potential candidates to replace the existing salt seeding agents.

Airborne Particulate Matter: Human Exposure and Health Effects

OBJECTIVE

Exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) is estimated to cause millions of premature deaths annually. This work conveys known routes of exposure to PM and resultant health effects.

METHODS

A review of available literature.

RESULTS

Estimates for daily PM exposure are provided. Known mechanisms by which insoluble particles are transported and removed from the body are discussed. Biological effects of PM, including immune response, cytotoxicity, and mutagenicity, are reported. Epidemiological studies that outline the systemic health effects of PM are presented.

CONCLUSION

While the integrated, per capita, exposure of PM for a large fraction of the first-world may be less than 1 mg per day, links between several syndromes, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, loss of cognitive function, anxiety, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hypertension, stroke, and PM exposure have been suggested. This article reviews and summarizes such links reported in the literature.

Hygroscopic behavior and fractional crystallization of mixed (NH4)2SO4/glutaric acid aerosols by vacuum FTIR

The hygroscopicity and phase transition of the mixed aerosol particles are significantly dependent upon relative humidity (RH) and interactions between particle components. Although the efflorescence behavior of particles has been studied widely, the crystallization behavior of each component in the particles is still poorly understood. Here, we study the hygroscopicity and crystallization behaviors of internally mixed ammonium sulfate (AS)/glutaric acid (GA) aerosols by a vacuum FTIR spectrometer coupled with a RH-controlling system. The mixed AS/GA aerosols in two different RH control processes (equilibrium and RH pulsed processes) show the fractional crystallization upon dehydration with AS crystallizing prior to GA in mixed particles with varying organic to inorganic molar ratios (OIRs). The initial efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) of AS decreased from ~43% for pure AS particles to ~41%, ~36% and ~34% for mixed AS/GA particles with OIRs of 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2, respectively. Compared to the ERH of 35% for pure GA, the initial ERHs of GA in mixed AS/GA particles were determined to be 31%, 30% and 28% for OIRs of 2:1, 1:1 and 1:2, respectively, indicating that the presence of AS decreased the crystallization RH of GA instead of inducing the heterogeneous nucleation of GA. When the AS fractions first crystallized at around 36% RH in the 1:1 mixed particles, GA remained noncrystalline until 30% RH. For the first time, the crystallization ratios of AS and GA are obtained for the internally mixed particles during the rapid downward RH pulsed process. The crystallization ratio of AS can reach around 100% at around 24% RH for both pure AS and the 1:1 mixed particles, consistent with the equilibrium RH process. It is clear that the RH downward rate did not influence efflorescence behavior of AS in pure AS and AS in mixed particles. In contrast, the crystallization ratio of GA can reach about 90% at 15.4% RH for pure GA particles in excellent agreement with the equilibrium RH process, whereas it is only up to 50% at 16.0% RH in the 1:1 mixed particles during the rapid downward pulsed process lower than that of the equilibrium RH process. Our results reveal that the rapid RH downward rate could inhibit the efflorescence of GA in the mixed droplets.

Anthropogenic Aerosol Indirect Effects in Cirrus Clouds

We have implemented a parameterization for forming ice in large-scale cirrus clouds that accounts for the changes in updrafts associated with a spectrum of waves acting within each time step in the model. This allows us to account for the frequency of homogeneous and heterogeneous freezing events that occur within each time step of the model and helps to determine more realistic ice number concentrations as well as changes to ice number concentrations. The model is able to fit observations of ice number at the lowest temperatures in the tropical tropopause but is still somewhat high in tropical latitudes with temperatures between 195°K and 215°K. The climate forcings associated with different representations of heterogeneous ice nuclei (IN or INPs) are primarily negative unless large additions of IN are made, such as when we assumed that all aircraft soot acts as an IN. However, they can be close to zero if it is assumed that all background dust can act as an INP irrespective of how much sulfate is deposited on these particles. Our best estimate for the forcing of anthropogenic aircraft soot in this model is -0.2 ± 0.06 W/m2, while that from anthropogenic fossil/biofuel soot is -0.093 ± 0.033 W/m2. Natural and anthropogenic open biomass burning leads to a net forcing of -0.057 ± 0.05 W/m2.

Kinetically Determined Hygroscopicity and Efflorescence of Sucrose-Ammonium Sulfate Aerosol Droplets under Lower Relative Humidity

Organic aerosols will likely form in semisolid, glassy, and high viscous state in the atmosphere, which show nonequilibrium kinetic characteristics at low relative humidity (RH) conditions. In this study, we applied optical tweezers to investigate the water transport in a sucrose/(NH₄)₂SO₄ droplet with high organic to inorganic mole ratio (OIR). The characteristic time ratio between the droplet radius and the RH was used to describe the water mass transfer difference dependent on RH. For OIR greater than 1:1 in sucrose/(NH₄)₂SO₄ droplets, the characteristic time ratio at low RH (<∼30% RH) was two orders magnitude greater than that at high RH (>∼60%). We also coupled vacuum FTIR spectrometer and a high-speed photography to study the efflorescence process in sucrose/(NH₄)₂SO₄ droplets with low OIR. The crystalline fraction of (NH₄)₂SO₄ was used to understand efflorescence behavior when the RH was linearly decreasing with a velocity of 1.2% RH min^-1. Because of suppression of (NH₄)₂SO₄ nucleation by addition of sucrose, the efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) of (NH₄)₂SO₄ decrease from the range of ∼48.2% to ∼36.1% for pure (NH₄)₂SO₄ droplets to from ∼44.7% to ∼25.4%, from ∼43.2% to ∼21.2%, and from ∼41.7% to ∼21.1% for the mixed droplets with OIR of 1:4, 1:3, and 1:2, respectively. No crystallization was observed when the OIR is higher than 1:1. Suppression of (NH₄)₂SO₄ crystal growth was also observed under high viscous sucrose/(NH₄)₂SO₄ droplets at lower RH.

Revising the hygroscopicity of inorganic sea salt particles

Sea spray is one of the largest natural aerosol sources and plays an important role in the Earth’s radiative budget. These particles are inherently hygroscopic, that is, they take-up moisture from the air, which affects the extent to which they interact with solar radiation. We demonstrate that the hygroscopic growth of inorganic sea salt is 8–15% lower than pure sodium chloride, most likely due to the presence of hydrates. We observe an increase in hygroscopic growth with decreasing particle size (for particle diameters <150 nm) that is independent of the particle generation method. We vary the hygroscopic growth of the inorganic sea salt within a general circulation model and show that a reduced hygroscopicity leads to a reduction in aerosol-radiation interactions, manifested by a latitudinal-dependent reduction of the aerosol optical depth by up to 15%, while cloud-related parameters are unaffected. We propose that a value of κ_s=1.1 (at RH=90%) is used to represent the hygroscopicity of inorganic sea salt particles in numerical models.

Sea spray, one of the largest natural aerosol sources, plays an important role in the Earth’s radiative budget. Here the authors show that the ability of sea salt particles to take up water is smaller than for pure salt, with implications for the parameterization of the direct aerosol radiative effect.

Effect of Structural Heterogeneity in Chemical Composition on Online Single-Particle Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Sea Spray Aerosol Particles

Knowledge of the surface composition of sea spray aerosols (SSA) is critical for understanding and predicting climate-relevant impacts. Offline microscopy and spectroscopy studies have shown that dry supermicron SSA tend to be spatially heterogeneous particles with sodium- and chloride-rich cores surrounded by organic enriched surface layers containing minor inorganic seawater components such as magnesium and calcium. At the same time, single-particle mass spectrometry reveals several different mass spectral ion patterns, suggesting that there may be a number of chemically distinct particle types. This study investigates factors controlling single particle mass spectra of nascent supermicron SSA. Depth profiling experiments conducted on SSA generated by a fritted bubbler and total ion intensity analysis of SSA generated by a marine aerosol reference tank were compared with observations of ambient SSA observed at two coastal locations. Analysis of SSA produced by utilizing controlled laboratory methods reveals that single-particle mass spectra with weak sodium ion signals can be produced by the desorption of the surface of typical dry SSA particles composed of salt cores and organic-rich coatings. Thus, this lab-based study for the first time unifies findings from offline and online measurements as well as lab and field studies of the SSA particle-mixing state.

Water Uptake and Hygroscopic Growth of Organosulfate Aerosol

Organosulfates (OS) are important components of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) that have been identified in numerous field studies. This class of compounds within SOA can potentially affect aerosol physicochemical properties such as hygroscopicity because of their polar and hydrophilic nature as well as their low volatility. Currently, there is a dearth of information on how aerosol particles that contain OS interact with water vapor in the atmosphere. Herein we report a laboratory investigation on the hygroscopic properties of a structurally diverse set of OS salts at varying relative humidity (RH) using a Hygroscopicity-Tandem Differential Mobility Analyzer (H-TDMA). The OS studied include the potassium salts of glycolic acid sulfate, hydroxyacetone sulfate, 4-hydroxy-2,3-epoxybutane sulfate, and 2-butenediol sulfate and the sodium salts of benzyl sulfate, methyl sulfate, ethyl sulfate, and propyl sulfate. In addition, mixtures of OS and sodium chloride were also studied. The results showed gradual deliquescence of these aerosol particles characterized by continuous uptake and evaporation of water in both hydration and dehydration processes for the OS, while the mixture showed prompt deliquescence and effloresce transitions, albeit at a lower relative humidity relative to pure sodium chloride. Hygroscopic growth of these OS at 85% RH were also fit to parameterized functional forms. This new information provided here has important implications about the atmospheric lifetime, light scattering properties, and the role of OS in cloud formation. Moreover, results of these studies can ultimately serve as a basis for the development and evaluation of thermodynamic models for these compounds in order to consider their impact on the atmosphere.

Size matters in the water uptake and hygroscopic growth of atmospherically relevant multicomponent aerosol particles

Understanding the interactions of water with atmospheric aerosols is crucial for determining the size, physical state, reactivity, and climate impacts of this important component of the Earth's atmosphere. Here we show that water uptake and hygroscopic growth of multicomponent, atmospherically relevant particles can be size dependent when comparing 100 nm versus ca. 6 μm sized particles. It was determined that particles composed of ammonium sulfate with succinic acid and of a mixture of chlorides typical of the marine environment show size-dependent hygroscopic behavior. Microscopic analysis of the distribution of components within the aerosol particles show that the size dependence is due to differences in the mixing state, that is, whether particles are homogeneously mixed or phase separated, for different sized particles. This morphology-dependent hygroscopicity has consequences for heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry as well as aerosol interactions with electromagnetic radiation and clouds.

Physical state and acidity of inorganic sulfate can regulate the production of secondary organic material from isoprene photooxidation products

The production of secondary organic material (SOM) by the reactive uptake of isoprene photooxidation products was investigated using partially to wholly neutralized sulfuric acid particles.

Hygroscopic properties of internally mixed particles composed of NaCl and water-soluble organic acids

Atmospheric aging of naturally emitted marine aerosol often leads to formation of internally mixed particles composed of sea salts and water-soluble organic compounds of anthropogenic origin. Mixing of sea salt and organic components has profound effects on the evolving chemical composition and hygroscopic properties of the resulted particles, which are poorly understood. Here, we have studied chemical composition and hygroscopic properties of laboratory generated NaCl particles mixed with malonic acid (MA) and glutaric acid (GA) at different molar ratios using micro-FTIR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray elemental microanalysis. Hygroscopic properties of internally mixed NaCl and organic acid particles were distinctly different from pure components and varied significantly with the type and amount of organic compound present. Experimental results were in a good agreement with the AIM modeling calculations of gas/liquid/solid partitioning in studied systems. X-ray elemental microanalysis of particles showed that Cl/Na ratio decreased with increasing organic acid component in the particles with MA yielding lower ratios relative to GA. We attribute the depletion of chloride to the formation of sodium malonate and sodium glutarate salts resulted by HCl evaporation from dehydrating particles.

Transverse approach between tunnel environment and corrosion: particulate matter in the Grand Mare tunnel

A tunnel-type semi-enclosed atmosphere is characterized by a higher particulate pollution than urban zones and highlights the particulate species having an impact on material degradation. Therefore, a transverse approach between air composition and its consequences upon longevity of materials is necessary, requiring a better knowledge of tunnel atmosphere and a better understanding of material degradation inside a tunnel for operating administration. The characterization of particulate matter collected inside a road tunnel in Rouen (France) allows us to set up the features of the particle characteristics of the real conditions of field exposure. Two sampling campaigns include analyses of organic and water-soluble ionic fractions. The current work shows that organic species, grouped into two sets derived primarily from engine exhaust and debris with wear particles resuspended by the traffic, are divided into two groups: a majority comprising n-alkanes, alkanoic acids, phthalates, ketones, and benzothiazole and a minority one composed of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), furans, phenols, and alkenes. As regards the water-soluble ionic fraction, the ionic species such as Cl(-), SO4(2-), CH3COO(-), HCOO(-), NO3(-), NH4+, and Na+ are involved in the degradation process. The inorganic particles (insoluble and slightly soluble), debris and wear particles, organic acids, and relative humidity play a key role and are important factors to consider in the degradation process.

Impact of organic coating on optical growth of ammonium sulfate particles

Light extinction by particles in Earth's atmosphere is strongly dependent on particle size, chemical composition, hygroscopic growth properties, and particle mixing state. Here, the influence of an organic coating on particle optical growth was studied. The particle optical growth factor, fRHext, was measured using cavity ring-down aerosol extinction spectroscopy at 532 nm. The particles were composed of ammonium sulfate (AS), 1,2,6-hexanetriol, and mixed particles containing a wet or dry ammonium sulfate core and a 1,2,6-hexanetriol coating. Dry, coated particles were generated by atomization followed by drying. Wet, coated particles were formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). LLPS was achieved by deliquescing and then drying the particles to a relative humidity (RH) between the phase separation RH and the efflorescence RH. For the LLPS particles, the fRHext at each RH was between the fRHext of ammonium sulfate and that of 1,2,6-hexanetriol. In contrast, for the mixed dry, coated particles, the fRHext was the same as 1,2,6-hexanetriol particles. At room temperature, the water uptake properties of AS coated with 1,2,6-hexanetriol are largely dictated by the phase of the AS. Thus, the total water uptake depends on the RH history of the particle and the resulting phase of AS.

Infrared optical constants of crystalline sodium chloride dihydrate: application to study the crystallization of aqueous sodium chloride solution droplets at low temperatures

Complex refractive indices of sodium chloride dihydrate, NaCl·2H(2)O, have been retrieved in the 6000-800 cm(-1) wavenumber regime from the infrared extinction spectra of crystallized aqueous NaCl solution droplets. The data set is valid in the temperature range from 235 to 216 K and was inferred from crystallization experiments with airborne particles performed in the large coolable aerosol and cloud chamber AIDA at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The retrieval concept was based on the Kramers-Kronig relationship for a complex function of the optical constants n and k whose imaginary part is proportional to the optical depth of a small particle absorption spectrum in the Rayleigh approximation. The appropriate proportionality factor was inferred from a fitting algorithm applied to the extinction spectra of about 1 μm sized particles, which, apart from absorption, also featured a pronounced scattering contribution. NaCl·2H(2)O is the thermodynamically stable crystalline solid in the sodium chloride-water system below the peritectic at 273.3 K; above 273.3 K, the anhydrous NaCl is more stable. In contrast to anhydrous NaCl crystals, the dihydrate particles reveal prominent absorption signatures at mid-infrared wavelengths due to the hydration water molecules. Formation of NaCl·2H(2)O was only detected at temperatures clearly below the peritectic and was first evidenced in a crystallization experiment conducted at 235 K. We have employed the retrieved refractive indices of NaCl·2H(2)O to quantify the temperature dependent partitioning between anhydrous and dihydrate NaCl particles upon crystallization of aqueous NaCl solution droplets. It was found that the temperature range from 235 to 216 K represents the transition regime where the composition of the crystallized particle ensemble changes from almost only NaCl to almost only NaCl·2H(2)O particles. Compared to the findings on the NaCl/NaCl·2H(2)O partitioning from a recent study conducted with micron-sized NaCl particles deposited onto a surface, the transition regime from NaCl to NaCl·2H(2)O is shifted by about 13 K to lower temperatures in our study. This is obviously related to the different experimental conditions of the two studies. The partitioning between the two solid phases of NaCl is essential for predicting the deliquescence and ice nucleation behavior of a crystalline aerosol population which is subjected to an increasing relative humidity.

Water-solids interactions: deliquescence

Deliquescence is a first order phase transition from solid to solution that occurs at a relative humidity (RH) that is characteristic to the solid ingredient. In blends containing more than one component with deliquescent behavior, the RH of the solid-solution transition will be lowered, leading to some level of dissolution at relatively low RH conditions. Dissolution arising as a result of deliquescence will impact the chemical and physical stability of complex food systems. Because chemical reactions occur much more readily in solution, deliquescence will enhance the degradation of labile food ingredients. RH fluctuations will lead to cycles of deliquescence and efflorescence (crystallization), which will contribute to particle agglomeration and caking. This review addresses the phenomenon of deliquescence, the significance of deliquescence to the food industry, measurement techniques, the kinetics and thermodynamics of deliquescence, the behavior of mixtures of deliquescent salts (including phase diagrams and thermodynamics of binary systems), and consequences of deliquescence on chemical and physical stability of powdered food and nutritional ingredient blends.

Internally mixed sulfate and organic particles as potential ice nuclei in the tropical tropopause region

Cirrus clouds are ubiquitous in the tropical tropopause region and play a major role in the Earth's climate. Any changes to cirrus abundance due to natural or anthropogenic influences must be considered to evaluate future climate change. The detailed impact of cirrus clouds on climate depends on ice particle number, size, morphology, and composition. These properties depend in turn on the nucleation mechanism of the ice particles. Although it is often assumed that ice nucleates via a homogeneous mechanism, recent work points to the possibility that heterogeneous ice nucleation is important in the tropical tropopause region. However, there are very few studies of depositional ice nucleation on the complex types of particles likely to be found in this region of the atmosphere. Here, we use a unique method to probe depositional ice nucleation on internally mixed ammonium sulfate/palmitic acid particles, namely optical microscopy coupled with Raman microscopy. The deliquescence and efflorescence phase transitions of the mixed particles were first studied to gain insight into whether the particles are likely to be liquid or solid in the tropical tropopause region. The ice nucleating ability of the particles was then measured under typical upper tropospheric conditions. It was found that coating the particles with insoluble palmitic acid had little effect on the deliquescence, efflorescence, or ice nucleating ability of ammonium sulfate. Additional experiments involving Raman mapping provide new insights into how the composition and morphology of mixed particles impact their ability to nucleate ice.

Spatially resolved micro-Raman observation on the phase separation of effloresced sea salt droplets

We report on the investigation of the phase separation of individual seawater droplets in the efflorescence processes with the spatially resolved Raman system. Upon decreasing the relative humidity (RH), CaSO4.0.5H2O separated out foremost fromthe droplet atan unexpectedly high RH of approcimately 90%. Occasionally, CaSO4.2H2O substituted for CaSO4.O.5H2O crystallizing first at approximately 78% RH. Relatively large NaCI solids followed to crystallize at approximately 55% RH and led to the great loss of the solution. Then, the KMgCl3.6H2O crystallites separated out from the residual solutions, adjacentto NaCl at approximately 44% RH. Moreover, a shell structure of dried sea salt particle was found to form at low RHs, with the NaCl crystals in the core and minor supersaturated solutions covered with MgSO4 gel coating on the surface. Ultimately, the shielded solution partly effloresced into MgSO4 hydrates at very dry state (<5% RH).

Infrared spectroscopic methods for the study of aerosol particles using White cell optics: Development and characterization of a new aerosol flow tube

A description of a new aerosol flow tube apparatus for measurements in situ under atmospherically relevant conditions is presented here. The system consists of a laboratory-made nebulizer generation system and a flow tube with a White cell-based Fourier transform IR for the detection system. An assessment of the White cell coupled to the flow tube was carried out by an extensive set of experiments to ensure the alignment of the infrared beam and optimize the performance of this system. The detection limit for CO was established as (1.0+/-0.3) ppm and 16 passes was chosen as the optimum number of passes to be used in flow tube experiments. Infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize dry aerosol particles in the flow tube. Pure particles composed of ammonium sulfate or sodium chloride ranging between 0.8 and 2.1 mum for size diameter and (0.8-4.9)x10(6) particles/cm(3) for density number were generated by nebulization of aqueous solutions. Direct measurements of the aerosol particle size agree with size spectra retrieved from inversion of the extinction measurements using Mie calculations, where the difference residual value is in the order of 0.2%. The infrared detection limit for ammonium sulfate aerosol particles was determined as d(p)=0.9 mum and N=5x10(3) particles/cm(3) with sigma=1.1 by Mie calculation. Alternatively, Mie calculations were performed to determine the flexibility in varying the optical length when aerosol particles are sent by the injector. The very good agreement between the values retrieved for aerosol particles injected through the flow tube or through the injector clearly validates the estimation of the effective optical path length for the injector. To determine the flexibility in varying the reaction zone length, analysis of the extinction spectra as function of the position of the injector was carried out by monitoring the integrated area of different absorption modes of the ammonium sulfate. We conclude that the aerosol loss in the flow tube reactor is negligible and that the aerosol particles remain on-axis for the length of the flow tube.

Dissolution of solid NaCl nanoparticles embedded in supersaturated water vapor probed by molecular dynamic simulations

The dissolution process for small, on the order of 1000 atoms, crystalline NaCl particles with defects embedded in highly supersaturated water vapor was studied by the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. We found that a breakdown of the crystal lattice does not occur unless (1) the thickness of water layer covering the surface of salt particles exceeds several molecular layers and (2) there are a considerable number of defects in the crystal. The collapse of the crystal lattice starts when the amount of water taken up by a salt particle reaches about half ( approximately 50%) of the amount of salt in this particle. The number of defects required to initiate subsequent dissolution of the NaCl crystal on the time scale accessible by our simulations ( approximately 40 ns) is in the range of 10 to 12%. We also report the estimates for the time required to form supersaturated aqueous solutions of NaCl from originally crystalline particles as a function of the number of defects in the crystal.

Phase transitions and surface morphology of surfactant-coated aerosol particles

Probe molecule spectroscopy and hygroscopic growth curves characterize the morphology of surfactant-coated aerosol particles as a function of relative humidity (RH). This study focuses on particles composed of either potassium iodide or sodium chloride and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). At high RH, these mixed particles assume a reverse micelle type structure, and at low RH, they comprise a solid core of either KI or NaCl coated with SDS and water. The deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) and efflorescence relative humidity (ERH) of the inorganic fraction of the mixed particles are very similar to those of the pure salts. The surface polarity and morphology sampled by the coumarin 314 probe molecule ranges from that of a water-organic interface to that of an ionic surface and depends strongly on the RH and the amount of SDS. When the SDS coverage of the droplet just prior to efflorescence reaches approximately one monolayer, a thin soap film persists on the surface to values of RH much lower than the ERH. Both the electronic spectroscopy and photoelectric charging efficiency show a separate efflorescence for this layer at RH < 5%. The spectroscopy further reveals that there is a hysteresis associated with this low RH phase transition for both KI and NaCl cores.