A Novel Inlet System for On-line Chemical Analysis of Semi-Volatile Submicron Particulate Matter

Philipp Eichler, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria, Markus Müller, University of Innsbruck, Institute for Ion Physics and Applied Physics, Innsbruck, Austria, Barbara D'anna, IRCELyon Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l'environnement de Lyon, Université de Lyon, Lyon, F-69626, France; Université Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69626, France; CNRS, UMR5256, Villeurbanne, France and Armin Wisthaler, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Abstract:
We herein present the concept of a novel modular inlet system that allows using gas-phase analyzers for on-line chemical characterization of semi-volatile submicron particles. The “Chemical analysis of aerosol on-line” (CHARON) inlet consists of a gas-phase denuder for stripping off gas-phase analytes, an aerodynamic lens for particle enrichment in the sampling flow and a thermo-desorption unit for particle volatilization prior to chemical analysis. We coupled the CHARON inlet to a proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-ToF-MS) which quantitatively detects most organic analytes and ammonia. The combined set-up measures submicron organic and ammonium nitrate/sulfate particles online. Proof-of-principle studies were carried out for demonstrating the analytical power of the new set-up in analyzing primarily emitted and secondarily generated particles. A promising future application is the study of the partitioning of organic compounds between the gas and the particulate phase.
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