CAREER: Exploring the Physical and Chemical Properties of Light-Absorbing Aerosol: A Single Particle Approach

CAREER项目的重点是研究大气中吸收光的有机气溶胶粒子的物理和化学性质，特别是那些含有棕色碳（BrC）的粒子。将利用单粒子悬浮进行基础实验室研究，以表征这些特性，以便更好地了解和预测BrC气溶胶在环境中的作用。这项研究有望改善对大气BrC气溶胶及其在云、气候、空气质量和健康中的作用的描述。这项工作将描述模型BrC水溶液气溶胶的物理状态、光学性质和化学演变，以更好地了解它们在大气中的演变影响。该提案的目标是：(1)确定特定发色团对BrC粒子物理状态的贡献；(2)表征BrC在大气相关代理粒子中的复折射率；(3)探讨BrC颗粒的光化学老化。线性四极电平衡（LQ-EDB）将用于在受控环境中悬浮含有BrC成分的微米级颗粒样品，以模拟大气条件。新的和建立的工具将应用于精确探测的大小，折射率，相形态，和组成的悬浮样品。将测量样品的物理状态和光学性质作为相对湿度的函数，并探讨它们对光解和非均相氧化的响应。计划与河滨社区医院的当地住院医生建立伙伴关系，为当地河滨地区的学生提供向他们教授空气质量的科学和健康影响的机会。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 is focused on the study of the physical and chemical properties of light-absorbing organic aerosol particles in the atmosphere, especially those containing brown carbon (BrC). Fundamental laboratory studies using single particle levitation will be performed to characterize these properties to better understand and predict the role of BrC aerosol in the environment. This research is expected to lead to an improved description of atmospheric BrC aerosol and their role in clouds, climate, air quality and health.This effort will characterize the physical state, optical properties, and chemical evolution of model aqueous BrC aerosol to better understand their evolving impacts in the atmosphere. The goals of the proposal are to: (1) Identify the contributions of specific chromophores to the physical state of BrC particles; (2) Characterize the complex refractive index of BrC species in atmospherically relevant proxy particles; and (3) Explore the photochemical aging of BrC particles. A linear quadrupole electrodynamic balance (LQ-EDB) will be used to levitate micrometer-sized particle samples containing BrC constituents in a controlled environment to mimic atmospheric conditions. New and established tools will be applied to precisely probe the size, refractive index, phase morphology, and composition of suspended samples. The physical state and optical properties of the samples will be measured as a function of relative humidity and their response to photolysis and heterogeneous oxidation will be explored.A partnership is planned with local resident doctors at Riverside Community Hospital to provide an opportunity to teach the science and health impacts of air quality to populations of students in the local Riverside area.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.