A new polar nephelometer for measurement of atmospheric aerosols

The angular dependence of light scattered by aerosol particles in the atmosphere—the aerosol phase function—is one of the key properties of every radiative transfer and climate model. Side-scattering in the atmosphere is currently believed to be underestimated by most of the radiative transfer models in certain cases. The aerosol phase function can be measured with polar nephelometers.An innovative polar nephelometer able to measure the phase function of ambient aerosol directly is presented in this publication. The performance of the device was simulated completely using ray-tracing techniques. The results of these simulations are used to interpret the measurement data precisely. The measurements with the new polar nephelometer are fully automated. The quality of the measurement results was verified using different approaches. The values of the statistical and systematic error in measuring atmospheric aerosol are about 4% each. Scattering angles from 10° to 160° were measured and it is shown that with the same design this range can be extended to 3-177° in steps of 0.16° with an aperture of less than 1.8°.Measurements of the aerosol phase function are presented and compared with data taken with an integrating nephelometer and measurements of the particulate matter concentration. All data correlate very well. The described polar nephelometer can measure the phase function and the scattering coefficient of atmospheric aerosol with high accuracy and can be used for continuous monitoring measurements as well as in field campaigns.     

Preliminary results of a non-spherical aerosol method for the retrieval of the atmospheric aerosol optical properties

There is experimental evidence that the non-sphericity of certain atmospheric particles can cause scattering properties different from those predicted by standard Mie theory. Numerous studies indicate the need to consider the presence of non-spherical particles in modeling the optical properties of atmospheric aerosols. On the other hand, natural aerosols show a great variety of shapes, making difficult a realistic choice of a particle shape (or shape mixture) model. In this paper, we test a parameterization of the particle shape in the retrieval of size distribution, phase function, single scattering albedo and asymmetry parameter from direct and sky-radiance measurements. For this purpose we have substituted the Kernel based on the Mie theory included in the model SKYRAD.PACK by one derived for non-spherical particles. The method is applied under different atmospheric conditions, including Saharan dust outbreak, polluted and local mineral episodes. We compare the results with those obtained by the well known spheroids algorithm used in the AERONET network.     

GC-MS法测定焦化厂气溶胶中多环芳烃

利用气相色谱-质谱(GC-MS),电子轰击离子化(EI)法测定焦化厂气溶胶中多环芳烃的含量。超声波抽提气溶胶样品,用GC-MS的选择离子监测(SIM)方式测定EPA提出的优先监测的16种多环芳烃的含量。该法的检出限为0.167pg·m~(-3),PAHs的回收率为85.1％～110.5％,相对标准偏差为4.62％～19.4％。应用该法测定气溶胶中PAHs获得满意的结果。     

Quantification of volatile PAHs present at trace levels in air flow by aqueous trapping—SPE and HPLC analysis with fluorimetric detection

In the context of a European project, a new approach of sampling of volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from air was developed. In fact, the aim of this project was to test the efficiency of an air cleansing prototype reactor, which was operating by non-thermal plasmolysis. With an eye to model the atmosphere ejected by the prototype, we needed to vaporise the volatile PAHs in an air stream at concentrations as low as those recommended by European Directives (96/62/CE) for PAHs in ambient air (i.e. 1 ng m⁻³). Our strategy was based on the analysis of PAHs trapped in an aqueous medium, in order to avoid important losses of volatile compounds observed during the delicate desorption-concentration step when classical solid supports are used. Then a study was carried out to determine: the design of the collecting part, the flow-rate of the air sampling, the nature and concentration of chemical additives used to enhance PAH solubility in water. The very highly diluted aqueous media obtained after the bubbling step were concentrated by solid-phase extraction (SPE) on hydrophobic cartridges and analysed on-line by reversed-phase HPLC with UV and fluorimetric detections. Lastly, the sampling technique was directly applied to the outlet of the air cleansing prototype and the analysis after 3-6 h of non-thermal plasmolysis showed that the target volatile PAHs were not present in an air stream initially polluted by volatile organic compounds.     

Fabrication of solid thin film electrolyte and LiCoO2 by aerosol flame pyrolysis deposition

Aerosol flame pyrolysis deposition method was applied to deposit the oxide glass electrolyte film and LiCoO₂ cathode for thin film type Li-ion secondary battery. The thicknesses of as-deposited porous LiCoO₂ and Li₂O–B₂O₃–P₂O₅ electrolyte film were about 6 μm and 15 μm, respectively. The deposited LiCoO₂ was sintered for 2 min at 700 °C to make partially densified cathode layer, and the deposited Li₂O–P₂O₅–B₂O₃ glass film completely densified by the sintering at 700 °C for 1 h. After solid state sintering process the thicknesses were reduced to approximately 4 μm and 6 μm, respectively. The cathode and electrolyte layers were deposited by continuous deposition process and integrated into a layer by co-sintering. It was demonstrated that Aerosol flame deposition is one of the good candidates for the fabrication of thin film battery.     

The agglomeration state of nanosecond laser-generated aerosol particles entering the ICP

Fundamental understanding of aerosol formation and particle transport are important aspects of understanding and improving laser-ablation ICP–MS. To obtain more information about particles entering the ICP, laser aerosols generated under different ablation conditions were collected on membrane filters. The particles and agglomerates were then visualised using scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging. To determine variations between different sample matrices, opaque (USGS BCR-2G) and transparent (NIST SRM 610) glass, CaF₂, and brass (MBH B26) samples were ablated using two different laser wavelengths, 193 and 266 nm. This study showed that the condensed nano-particles (∼10 nm in diameter) formed by laser ablation reach the ICP as micron-sized agglomerates; this is apparent from filters which contain only a few well-separated particles and particle agglomerates. Ablation experiments on different metals and non-metals show that the structure of the agglomerates is matrix-dependent. Laser aerosols generated from silicates and metals form linear agglomerates whereas particle-agglomerates of ablated CaF₂ have cotton-like structures. Amongst other conditions, this study shows that the absorption characteristics of the sample and the laser wavelength determine the production of micron-sized spherical particles formed by liquid droplet ejection.     

Measurements of HO2 uptake coefficient on aqueous (NH4)2SO4 aerosol using aerosol flow tube with LIF system

The γ(HO₂) was elevated with increase of Cu(II) concentrations in aqueous (NH₄)₂SO₄ aerosol. The threshold of Cu(II) concentration was 10^-3 mol/L for the dramatic increase of γ(HO₂) to 0.1, suggesting sensitive γ(HO₂) value to concentration of transition metal ions in aerosol.     

Extraction of capsaicins in aerosol defense sprays from fabrics

The use of aerosol defense sprays has increased as a means of self-defense and as a weapon in the commission of a crime. The residue of these sprays is often left behind as physical evidence on a victim's clothing or personal belongings. As the popularity of self-defense weaponry increases, so does the likelihood that it will be encountered in forensic casework. The extraction, recovery from fabrics, and identification of residue from defense sprays is described. The commonly used extraction method of liquid-liquid extraction is compared to solid phase microextraction (SPME) to recover capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin from cotton swabs. The use of SPME resulted in lower limits of detection and greater recovery efficiency when compared to solvent extraction. SPME also provided more consistent recovery and less variability when compared to solvent extraction. The effect of use of various types of evidence packages on the preservation of this type of evidence is also reported. The collection and analysis of hand swabs after normal discharge of pepper spray canisters was studied indicating the low persistence of these compounds on the hands of the person conducting the spraying. Finally, the results of a real case whereby solvent-solvent extraction did not provide the necessary sensitivity for extracting the capsaicin compounds on the garments of a victim of an alleged spraying and the SPME extraction provided the recovery and identification of the compounds is also presented.     

Flow system to gas capture from a nebulized solution

The use of aerosol produced in a nebulization chamber is proposed as an alternative to gas sample capture in flow systems. This paper describes the coupling of a sampling interface with a flow system, for in situ gas monitoring. Aspects related with the behavior of aerosol formation and gas solubilization in liquid drops are discussed. The method is applied to the determination of residual lime in acidic soils. Aliquots of 5.0 ml of 1.0 mol l⁻¹ HCl were mixed with soil samples (1 g). The CO₂ released from these samples was captured by a nebulized aerosol and determined conductivity. The analytical curve from 1.0×10⁻² to 5.0×10⁻² mol kg⁻¹ CaCO₃ was ploted applying the matrix matching approach. This proposition, allowed an increase in the sensibility with detection limit of 6.0×10⁻³ mol kg⁻¹. The precision was good (R.S.D. <3%) for an analytical frequency of 22 determinations per hour. A fair agreement, at 95% confidence level, was found between the results from the proposed method and certified values of the investigated samples.     

Size-related vaporisation and ionisation of laser-induced glass particles in the inductively coupled plasma

Ongoing discussions about the origin of elemental fractionation occurring during LA-ICP-MS analysis show that this problem is still far from being well understood. It is becoming accepted that all three possible sources (ablation, transport, excitation) contribute to elemental fractionation. However, experimental data about the vaporisation size limit of different particles in the ICP, as produced in laser ablation, have not been available until now. This information should allow one to determine the signal contributing mass within the ICP and would further clarify demands on suitable laser ablation systems and gas atmospheres in terms of their particle size distribution.The results presented here show a vaporisation size limit of laser induced particles, which was found at particle sizes between 90 nm and 150 nm using an Elan 6000 ICP-MS. Due to the fact that the ICP-MS response was used as evaluation parameter, vaporisation and ionisation limits are not distinguishable.The upper limit was determined by successively removing the larger particles from the aerosol, which was created by ablation of a NIST 610 glass standard at a wavelength of 266 nm, using a recently developed particle separation device. Various particle fractions were separated from the aerosol entering the ICP. The decrease in signal intensity is not proportional to the decrease in volume, indicating that particles above 150 nm in diameter are not completely ionised in the ICP. Due to the limited removal range of the particle separation device, which cannot remove particles smaller than 150 nm, single hole ablations were used to determine the lower vaporisation limit. This is based on measurements showing that larger particles occur dominantly during the first 100 laser pulses only. After this period, the ratio of ICP-MS counts and total particle volume was found to be constant while most of the particles are smaller than 90 nm, indicating complete vaporisation and ionisation of these particles.To describe the influence of different plasma forward powers on the vaporisation limit, the range 1000–1600 W was studied. Results indicate that optimum vaporisation and ionisation occurs at 1300 W. However, an increase of the particle ionisation limit towards larger particles was not observed within the accuracy of this study using the full range of parameters available for optimisation on commonly used ICP-MS instruments.