Secondary organic aerosols derived from intermediate-volatility n-alkanes adopt low-viscous phase state

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) derived from n-alkanes, as emitted from vehicles and volatile chemical products, is a major component of anthropogenic particulate matter, yet the chemical composition and phase state are poorly understood and thus poorly constrained in aerosol models. Here we provide...

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Published inAtmospheric chemistry and physics Vol. 24; no. 9; pp. 5549 - 5565
Main Authors Galeazzo, Tommaso, Aumont, Bernard, Camredon, Marie, Valorso, Richard, Lim, Yong B, Ziemann, Paul J, Shiraiwa, Manabu
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Katlenburg-Lindau Copernicus GmbH 14.05.2024
Copernicus Publications, EGU
Copernicus Publications
Subjects
Aerosol models
Aerosols
Air pollution
Alkanes
Anthropogenic factors
Atmospheric models
Carbon
Chemical composition
Chemistry
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Laboratory experimentation
Laboratory experiments
Machine learning
Molecular structure
Outdoor air quality
Oxidation
Particulate matter
Secondary aerosols
Semisolids
Simulation
Suspended particulate matter
Temperature
Viscosity
VOCs
Volatile organic compounds
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Summary:Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) derived from n-alkanes, as emitted from vehicles and volatile chemical products, is a major component of anthropogenic particulate matter, yet the chemical composition and phase state are poorly understood and thus poorly constrained in aerosol models. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of n-alkane SOA by explicit gas-phase chemistry modeling, machine learning, and laboratory experiments to show that n-alkane SOA adopts low-viscous semi-solid or liquid states. Our study underlines the complex interplay of molecular composition and SOA viscosity: n-alkane SOA with a higher carbon number mostly consists of less functionalized first-generation products with lower viscosity, while the SOA with a lower carbon number contains more functionalized multigenerational products with higher viscosity. This study opens up a new avenue for analysis of SOA processes, and the results indicate few kinetic limitations of mass accommodation in SOA formation, supporting the application of equilibrium partitioning for simulating n-alkane SOA formation in large-scale atmospheric models.
Bibliography:SC0018349; AGS-1654104; AGS-1750447
National Science Foundation (NSF)
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
ISSN:1680-7324
1680-7316
1680-7324
DOI:10.5194/acp-24-5549-2024