RUI: Bulk Water Adsorption and Aerosol Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) Activation of Insoluble Aerosol: Toward Experimental Closure and Accurate Model Parameters

该项目将研究矿物粉尘颗粒对大气中云滴形成的作用。目前的液滴形成理论还没有考虑到颗粒表面结构和孔隙率的影响。最先进的实验室技术将用于量化颗粒表面微观结构对大气中水分吸收和云滴形成的影响。这项研究将大大有助于目前对大气相关矿物颗粒如何与大气中的水蒸气相互作用的理解，并导致改进尘埃云相互作用的模型以及这些相互作用对天气和气候的影响。研究的具体目标是：(1)量化模型不溶性气溶胶组分对水的吸附与相对湿度（RH）的关系；(2)测量同一模式气溶胶组分的大小分辨云凝结核（CCN）活化；(3)应用新的水吸附分析方法对表面微观结构和孔隙度进行校正，获得更准确的Frenkel Halsey Hill吸附活化理论（FHH-AT）拟合参数；(4)将基于表面微观结构和孔隙率校正的体积水吸附的CCN活化与气溶胶CCN活化测量进行比较，建立两种方法之间的实验封闭性；(5)指导和教育大气化学专业的本科生。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will investigate the role of mineral dust particles on the formation of cloud droplets in the atmosphere. Current theories of droplet formation have not included the influence of particle surface structure and porosity. State-of-the-art laboratory techniques will be used to quantify the effects of particle surface microstructure on the uptake of water and the formation of cloud droplets in the atmosphere. This research will contribute significantly to the current understanding of how mineral particles of atmospheric relevance interact with water vapor in the atmosphere and lead to improved models of dust-cloud interactions and the influence of these interactions on weather and climate.The specific goals of the studies are: (1) to quantify water adsorption on model insoluble aerosol components as a function of relative humidity (RH); (2) to measure size-resolved cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation of the same model aerosol components; (3) to apply new water adsorption analysis methods to correct for surface microstructure and porosity to obtain more accurate Frenkel Halsey Hill Adsorption Activation Theory (FHH-AT) fit parameters; (4) to compare surface microstructure and porosity-corrected bulk water adsorption-based CCN activation to aerosol CCN activation measurements to establish experimental closure between the two methods; and (5) to mentor and educate a diverse cohort of undergraduate students in atmospheric chemistry.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.