CAREER: Impacts of the Chemical and Physical Properties of Surfactants on the Hygroscopic Growth of Atmospheric Aerosol Particles

本CAREER项目重点研究大气气溶胶中表面活性剂化合物及其对颗粒吸湿生长的影响。现场收集和使用高分辨率化学和物理分析的实验室实验将用于评估表面活性剂分子组成和相关性质对大气颗粒吸湿性生长的影响。吸湿性生长可以改变颗粒的大小和组成，这两者都是气溶胶颗粒对能见度和人类健康影响的重要决定因素。表面活性剂对颗粒吸湿生长的影响是非线性的，并且取决于表面活性剂的分子组成、结构和临界胶束浓度。实验计划将解决以下问题：(1)大气气溶胶颗粒中表面活性剂的组成、结构和界面特性是什么？这些表面活性剂的特性如何随颗粒大小和气团来源区域（如自然、人为、海洋、年龄影响）的变化而变化？(2)表面活性剂的结构、组成和界面性质对亚微米和超微米气溶胶颗粒的吸湿生长有什么影响？在格鲁吉亚海岸的Skidaway海洋学研究所，将在两个季节对收集到的气溶胶颗粒进行化学和物理测量，以捕捉季节变化。还将进行实验室实验，测量实验室生成的模型气溶胶颗粒的吸湿生长，以直接确定表面活性剂分数的影响。多元统计将用于确定表面活性剂在不同颗粒类型中的性能。教育和推广计划包括与高中生一起收集当地空气质量测量数据，开发一门新的实验课程，通过测量气溶胶化学来探索分析化学原理，并为本科生举办一年级研究研讨会课程和暑期研究体验。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 CAREER project focuses on the study of surfactant compounds in atmospheric aerosol and their effects on particle hygroscopic growth. Field collections and laboratory experiments using high resolution chemical and physical analyses will be used to assess the influence of surfactant molecular composition and associated properties on the hygroscopic growth of atmospheric particles. Hygroscopic growth can alter particle size and composition, both of which are important determinants in the influence of aerosol particles on visibility and human health.The effect of surfactants on particle hygroscopic growth is expected to be nonlinear and dependent on the surfactant molecular composition, structure, and critical micelle concentration. The experimental plan will address the following questions: (1) What are the compositions, structures, and interfacial properties of surfactants in atmospheric aerosol particles? How do these surfactant characteristics vary as a function of particle size and air mass source region (e.g., natural, anthropogenic, marine, aged influences)? (2) What effects do surfactant structure, composition, and interfacial properties have on the hygroscopic growth of submicron and supermicron aerosol particles? Chemical and physical measurements of aerosol particles collected as part of two field campaigns at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, on the coast of Georgia, will be made during two seasons to capture seasonal variability. Laboratory experiments will also be conducted to measure the hygroscopic growth of model laboratory-generated aerosol particles to determine the influence of the surfactant fraction directly. Multivariate statistics will be used to determine the surfactant properties in different particle types.The education and outreach plan includes working with high school students to collect local air quality measurements, developing a new laboratory course to explore the principles of analytical chemistry through measurements of aerosol chemistry, and conducting a first-year research seminar course and a summer research experience for undergraduate students.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.