Atmospheric nanoparticles hygroscopic growth measurement by a combined surface plasmon resonance microscope and hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer

Z. Xie; Z. Xie; J. Zhang; J. Zhang; H. Gui; Y. Liu; B. Yang; H. Dai; H. Xiao; D. Zhang; D.-R. Chen; J. Liu; J. Liu

doi:10.5194/acp-23-2079-2023

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (Feb 2023)

Atmospheric nanoparticles hygroscopic growth measurement by a combined surface plasmon resonance microscope and hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer

Z. Xie,
Z. Xie,
J. Zhang,
J. Zhang,
H. Gui,
Y. Liu,
B. Yang,
H. Dai,
H. Xiao,
D. Zhang,
D.-R. Chen,
J. Liu,
J. Liu

Affiliations

Z. Xie: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
Z. Xie: Innovation excellence center for urban atmospheric environment of CAS, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
J. Zhang: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
J. Zhang: now at: Center for Aerosol Science and Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
H. Gui: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
Y. Liu: Advanced Laser Technology Laboratory of Anhui Province, Department of Optics and Optical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
B. Yang: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
H. Dai: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
H. Xiao: Innovation excellence center for urban atmospheric environment of CAS, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China
D. Zhang: Advanced Laser Technology Laboratory of Anhui Province, Department of Optics and Optical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China
D.-R. Chen: Particle Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 West Main Street, Richmond, VA 23284, USA
J. Liu: Key Laboratory of Environmental Optics and Technology, Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, China
J. Liu: Innovation excellence center for urban atmospheric environment of CAS, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-2079-2023
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 23
pp. 2079 – 2088

Abstract

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The hygroscopic growth of atmospheric aerosols plays an important role in regional radiation, cloud formation, and hence climate. Aerosol hygroscopic growth is often characterized by hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzers (HTDMAs), and Xie et al. (2020) recently demonstrated that hygroscopic growth measurements of a single particle are possible using a surface plasmon resonance microscope-azimuthal rotation illumination (SPRM-ARI). The hygroscopic properties of ambient aerosols are not uniform and often exhibit large relative humidity (RH) and size variabilities due to different chemical compositions and mixing states. To better understand the contribution of different aerosol components and establish a link between the apparent hygroscopic properties of single particles and bulk aerosols, we conduct combined hygroscopic growth measurements using a SPRM-ARI and an HTDMA as a case study to prove the concept (experimental information: 100–200 nm, during noontime on 28 September 2021 and 22 March 2022 in Hefei, China). According to the distinct hygroscopic growth behavior from single-particle probing using a SPRM-ARI, the individual particles can be classified into three categories defined as non-hygroscopic (NH), less hygroscopic (LH), and more hygroscopic (MH). The mean growth factor (GF) of the three categories can be utilized to reproduce the GF distribution obtained from the HTDMA measurement. The chemical compositions of individual particles from the three categories are identified to be organic carbon (OC), soot (mainly elemental carbon), fly ash, and secondary aerosols (mainly OC and sulfate), using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The coupled SPRM–HTDMA measurement suggests a size-dependent variation of aerosol chemical components, i.e., an increase of OC fraction with increasing particle sizes, which agrees reasonably well with the chemical compositions from collected aerosol samples. This likely links the hygroscopic properties of individual particles to their bulk hygroscopic growth and chemical composition.

Published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

ISSN: 1680-7316 (Print); 1680-7324 (Online)
Publisher: Copernicus Publications
Country of publisher: Germany
LCC subjects: Science: Physics; Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.atmospheric-chemistry-and-physics.net/

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