Collaborative Research: Flow Reactor Simulations of the Evolution of Atmospheric Organic Aerosol

该项目的重点是调查的二次有机气溶胶（SOA）在环境室的VOC/NOx水平和氧化剂暴露的函数的产量。由有机前体的OH氧化形成的SOA主要发生在白天。然而，NO3自由基在夜间丰富。由于夜间边界层高度较低，这些升高的NO3水平也可能与VOC/IVOC水平升高相一致，这可能导致显著的夜间SOA形成。实验室的结果将用于模拟潜在的氧化机制，并将其与大气光化学过程联系起来。这项研究将为大气中二次有机颗粒物的形成和这些颗粒物的氧化老化提供新的见解。这些结果对于了解气溶胶如何影响大气的冷却和加热以及改变气候非常重要。

The focus of this project is to investigate the yields of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in an environmental chamber as a function of VOC/NOx levels and oxidant exposure. SOA formed from the OH oxidation of organic precursors happens mostly during the daytime. However, NO3 radicals are abundant at night. These elevated NO3 levels can also coincide with elevated levels of VOCs/IVOCs due to lower nighttime boundary layer heights, which may result in significant nighttime SOA formation. The chamber results will be used to model the underlying oxidation mechanisms and to relate them to atmospheric photochemical processes.This research will provide new insight into the formation of secondary organic particles in the atmosphere and the oxidative aging of these particles. The results are important for understanding how aerosols influence the cooling and heating of the atmosphere and alter climate.