Search results for "particle formation"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
Ion–Molecule Rate Constants for Reactions of Sulfuric Acid with Acetate and Nitrate Ions
2022
Atmospheric nucleation from precursor gases is a significant source of cloud condensation nuclei in the troposphere and thus can affect the Earth's radiative balance. Sulfuric acid, ammonia, and amines have been identified as key nucleation precursors in the atmosphere. Studies have also shown that atmospheric ions can react with sulfuric acid to form stable clusters in a process referred to as ion-induced nucleation (IIN). IIN follows similar reaction pathways as chemical ionization, which is used to detect and measure nucleation precursors via atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometers. The rate at which ions form clusters depends on the ion-molecule rate constant. Howeve…
In situ observations of new particle formation in the tropical upper troposphere: the role of clouds and the nucleation mechanism
2011
New particle formation (NPF), which generates nucleation mode aerosol, was observed in the tropical Upper Troposphere (UT) and Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL) by in situ airborne measurements over South America (January–March 2005), Australia (November–December 2005), West Africa (August 2006) and Central America (2004–2007). Particularly intense NPF was found at the bottom of the TTL. Measurements with a set of condensation particle counters (CPCs) with different <i>d</i><sub>p50</sub> (50% lower size detection efficiency diameter or "cut-off diameter") were conducted on board the M-55 <i>Geophysica</i> in the altitude range of 12.0–20.5 km and on board …
Intercomparison and evaluation of global aerosol microphysical properties among AeroCom models of a range of complexity
2014
Many of the next generation of global climate models will include aerosol schemes which explicitly simulate the microphysical processes that determine the particle size distribution. These models enable aerosol optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations to be determined by fundamental aerosol processes, which should lead to a more physically based simulation of aerosol direct and indirect radiative forcings. This study examines the global variation in particle size distribution simulated by 12 global aerosol microphysics models to quantify model diversity and to identify any common biases against observations. Evaluation against size distribution measurements from…
General overview: European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions (EUCAARI)-integrating aerosol research from nano …
2011
In this paper we describe and summarize the main achievements of the European Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality Interactions project (EUCAARI). EUCAARI started on 1 January 2007 and ended on 31 December 2010 leaving a rich legacy including: (a) a comprehensive database with a year of observations of the physical, chemical and optical properties of aerosol particles over Europe, (b) comprehensive aerosol measurements in four developing countries, (c) a database of airborne measurements of aerosols and clouds over Europe during May 2008, (d) comprehensive modeling tools to study aerosol processes fron nano to global scale and their effects on climate and air quality. In addition a new Pan…
Emission of iodine-containing volatiles by selected microalgae species
2014
In this study we present the results of an emission study of different phytoplankton samples in aqueous media treated with elevated ozone levels. Halocarbon measurements show that the samples tested released bromoform and different iodocarbons, including iodomethane, iodochloromethane and diiodomethane. Iodide and iodate levels in the liquid phase were representative of concentrations of surface water in a natural environment. Measurement of volatile iodine (I2) emissions from two diatom samples (Mediopyxis helysia and Porosira glacialis) and the background sample (F/2 medium from filtered natural seawater) showed that the quantity of evolved I2 depends on the ozone concentration in the air…
A study on the fragmentation of sulfuric acid and dimethylamine clusters inside an atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer
2022
Abstract. Sulfuric acid and dimethylamine vapours in the atmosphere can form molecular clusters, which participate in new particle formation events. In this work, we have produced, measured, and identified clusters of sulfuric acid and dimethylamine using an electrospray ionizer coupled with a planar-differential mobility analyser, connected to an atmospheric pressure interface time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ESI–DMA–APi-TOF MS). This set-up is suitable for evaluating the extent of fragmentation of the charged clusters inside the instrument. We evaluated the fragmentation of 11 negatively charged clusters both experimentally and using a statistical model based on quantum chemical data. Th…
CFD simulation of ZnO nanoparticle precipitation in a supercritical water synthesis reactor
2012
International audience; Continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis process has shown great advantages concerning the control of particle size and morphology through the optimization of supercritical water processing parameters. In particular, micromixing is a key issue of the process for controlling the nucleation mechanism. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model is suggested for nanoparticle size determination using a population balance approach. Models for reaction kinetics, thermodynamics, nucleation and growth are presented. The effects of base concentration and hydrodynamics are investigated. Results show that the CFD may be valuable simulation tool for controlling the size and the sha…
The Pyridyl Functional Groups Guide the Formation of Pd Nanoparticles Inside A Porous Poly(4-Vinyl-Pyridine)
2015
The reactivity of palladium acetate inside a poly(4-vinylpyridine-co-divinylbenzene) polymer is strongly influenced by the establishment of interaction between the Pd precursor and the pyridyl functional group in the polymer. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and simultaneous X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques have been applied to monitor the reactivity of palladium acetate in the presence of H-2 and CO as a function of temperature. H-2 reduces palladium acetate to Pd nanoparticles and acetic acid. The pyridyl groups in the polymer play a vital role both in stabilizing the formed acetic acid, thu…
Microscopic Insights Into the Formation of Methanesulfonic Acid–Methylamine–Ammonia Particles Under Acid-Rich Conditions
2022
Understanding the microscopic mechanisms of new particle formation under acid-rich conditions is of significance in atmospheric science. Using quantum chemistry calculations, we investigated the microscopic formation mechanism of methanesulfonic acid (MSA)–methylamine (MA)–ammonia (NH3) clusters. We focused on the binary (MSA)2n-(MA)n and ternary (MSA)3n-(MA)n-(NH3)n, (n = 1–4) systems which contain more acid than base molecules. We found that the lowest-energy isomers in each system possess considerable thermodynamic and dynamic stabilities. In studied cluster structures, all bases are protonated, and they form stable ion pairs with MSA, which contribute to the charge transfer and the stab…
The seaweeds &lt;i&gt;Fucus vesiculosus&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Ascophyllum nodosum&lt;/i&gt; are significant contribu…
2013
Abstract. Based on the results of a pilot study in 2007, which found high mixing ratios of molecular iodine (I2) above the intertidal macroalgae (seaweed) beds at Mweenish Bay (Ireland), we extended the study to nine different locations in the vicinity of Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station on the west coast of Ireland during a field campaign in 2009. The mean values of I2 mixing ratio found above the macroalgae beds at nine different locations ranged from 104 to 393 ppt, implying a high source strength of I2. Such mixing ratios are sufficient to result in photochemically driven coastal new-particle formation events. Mixing ratios above the Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus beds …