A microfluidic device for quantification of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles (FluidIce)

用于定量大气冰核颗粒的微流体装置（FluidIce）

• 批准号: NE/X013081/1
• 负责人: Benjamin Murray
• 金额: $ 10.12万
• 依托单位: University of Leeds
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FX013081%2F1
• 关键词: microfluidic; device; quantification; atmospheric; ice

A small fraction of atmospheric aerosol particles that nucleate ice in clouds have a disproportionate effect on climate. Quantification of these ice-nucleating particles is key to reducing climate uncertainties associated with clouds around the globe, from deep convection in the tropics to boundary layer clouds in the oceanic mid- to high-latitudes. However, the atmospheric concentration, sources, sinks, transport and activity of ice-nucleating particles are all poorly defined. A major limitation is the lack of instrumentation capable of measuring ice-nucleating particles. We have previously developed a prototype microfluidic platform for quantifying atmospheric ice-nucleating particles in Murray's European Research Council fellowship, but it's throughput and automation are limited by both instrumental and data processing challenges. Here we propose to take LOC-NIPI far beyond what was envisaged in Murray's ERC grant and to vastly improve it utility for the quantification of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles.In FluidIce we will replace the data-hungry (and limiting) high speed camera with a much simpler LED-Photodiode detector coupled with our new frozen-unfrozen droplet sorting device. This relatively modest investment will allow us to greatly speed up sample throughput and therefore add a great deal of value to other projects, such as M-Phase (a NERC grant focused on the cloud-phase feedback as part of the CloudSense programme) and WesCon (a Met Office funded aircraft project looking at high-impact convection in the UK). The legacy of FluidIce will make the routine quantification of ice-nucleating particles concentrations down to ~-35 C possible in future field and laboratory projects. FluidIce also moves the LOC-NIPI towards our longer term goal of a fully automated instrument capable of continuous monitoring of ice-nucleating particle spectra, from sampling through to freezing analysis.

在云中形成冰核的一小部分大气气溶胶粒子对气候有不成比例的影响。这些冰核粒子的量化是减少与全球云相关的气候不确定性的关键，从热带的深层对流到海洋中高纬度的边界层云。然而，大气浓度、冰核粒子的来源、汇、运输和活动都没有明确的定义。一个主要的限制是缺乏能够测量冰核粒子的仪器。我们之前在Murray的欧洲研究理事会奖学金中开发了一个用于量化大气冰核粒子的微流控平台原型，但它的吞吐量和自动化受到仪器和数据处理挑战的限制。在这里，我们建议将LOC-NIPI远远超出Murray的ERC拨款所设想的范围，并大大提高它在大气冰核粒子量化方面的效用。在FluidIce中，我们将用一个更简单的led -光电二极管检测器和我们新的冷冻-非冷冻液滴分选装置取代数据饥渴（和限制）的高速相机。这项相对适度的投资将使我们能够大大加快样品吞吐量，从而为其他项目增加大量价值，例如M-Phase （NERC资助的云相位反馈，作为CloudSense项目的一部分）和WesCon（英国气象局资助的飞机项目，研究英国的高影响对流）。FluidIce的遗产将使冰核颗粒浓度的常规量化在未来的现场和实验室项目中达到~-35℃。FluidIce还将LOC-NIPI推向了我们的长期目标，即能够从采样到冻结分析连续监测冰核粒子光谱的全自动仪器。