A51J-3173:
Particle Rebound and Phase State of Secondary Organic Material
Friday, 19 December 2014
Adam Bateman1, Allan K Bertram2 and Scot T Martin1,3, (1)Harvard University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Cambridge, MA, United States, (2)University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (3)Harvard University, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA, United States
Abstract:
Secondary organic material (SOM) is produced in the atmosphere from the oxidation of volatile organic compounds emitted from anthropogenic and biogenic sources. Aerosol particles, composed in part of SOM, play important roles in climate and air quality by scattering/absorbing radiation and serving as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). The magnitude of climate-relevant perturbations depends on particle chemical composition, hygroscopic growth, and phase state, among other factors. Herein, the hygroscopic influence on particle rebound and the phase state of particles composed of isoprene, toluene, and α-pinene secondary organic material (SOM) was studied. Particle rebound measurements were obtained from 5 to 95% RH using a three-arm impaction apparatus. The experimentally determined rebound fractions were compared with results from a model of the rebound process that took into account the particle kinetic energy, van der Waals forces, and RH-dependent capillary forces. Comparison of the experimental and modeled indicated particles softened due to water uptake. For low RH values, the model explained the rebound behavior for all studied SOMs. At higher RH values specific to each SOM, however, particle rebound was no longer observed, and the model did not capture this behavior. Calibration experiments using sucrose particles of variable known viscosities showed the transition from non-rebounding to rebounding particles occurred for viscosity values from 100 to 1 Pa s, corresponding to a transition from semisolid to liquid material. The implication of the differing RH-dependent behaviors among the SOMs is that each SOM has a specific and quantitatively different interaction with water. A linear correlation between rebound fraction and hygroscopic growth factor was demonstrated, implying that absorbed water volume is the governing factor of viscosity for the studied classes of SOM. The findings of this study suggest that both the chemical composition and the ambient relative humidity influence the phase state of secondary organic material.
