Molecular Imaging Reveals Two Distinct Mixing States of PM2.5 Particles Sampled in a Typical Beijing Winter Pollution Case
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Mixing states of aerosol particles are crucial for understanding the role of aerosols in influencing air quality and climate. However, a fundamental understanding of the complex mixing states is still lacking because most traditional analysis techniques only reveal bulk chemical and physical properties with limited surface and 3-D information. In this research, 3-D molecular imaging enabled by ToF-SIMS was used to elucidate the mixing states of PM 2.5 samples obtained from a typical Beijing winter haze event. In light pollution cases, a thin organic layer covers separated inorganic particles; while in serious pollution cases, ion exchange and an organic–inorganic mixing surface on large-area particles were observed. The new results provide key 3-D molecular information of mixing states, which is highly potential for reducing uncertainty and bias in representing aerosol–cloud interactions in current Earth System Models and improving the understanding of aerosols on air quality and human health.
Institutions: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, East China Normal University, Columbia University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, State Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System
Language: English
Subfield: Atmospheric Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Jiangsu Provincial Key Research and Development Program, Central University Basic Research Fund of China, Biological and Environmental Research, Laboratory Directed Research and Development
OpenAlex ID: W4362658398