Acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM): water uptake in a nanostructured atmospheric aerosol proxy †

Adam Milsom; Adam  Squires; Christopher Brasnett; William Sharratt; Annela Seddon; Christian Pfrang

doi:10.1039/d3ea00083d

Acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM): water uptake in a nanostructured atmospheric aerosol proxy †

Adam Milsom, Adam Squires, Christopher Brasnett, William Sharratt, Annela Seddon, Christian Pfrang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Laboratory studies on levitated particles of atmospheric aerosol proxies have provided significant contributions to our understanding of aerosol processes. We present an experimental method combining acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM) to probe optically birefringent particles, such as the nanostructured surfactant atmospheric aerosol proxy studied here. Birefringent particles were subjected to a step increase in humidity. A decrease in birefringence was measured over time as a result of a nanostructure change, confirmed by complementary synchrotron X-ray scattering. A multi-layer water uptake model was created and fitted to the experimental data, revealing a water diffusion coefficient increase by ca. 5–6 orders of magnitude upon phase transition. This has implications for the timescale of water uptake in surfactant-containing aerosols and their atmospheric lifetimes. This experimental setup has strong potential to be used in conjunction with other levitation methods and in different contexts concerning birefringent materials such as crystallisation.

Original language	English
Journal	Environmental Science: Atmospheres
Early online date	26 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ea00083d
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 26 Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements:
AM acknowledges funding by the NERC SCENARIO DTP (NE/L002566/1) and support from the NERC CENTA DTP. This work was carried out with the support of the Diamond Light Source (UK), instrument I22 (proposals SM23852 and SM17791). Nick Terrill, Andy Smith, Tim Snow and Olga Shebanova (DLS) are acknowledged for their support during experiments at the DLS. The computations described in this paper were performed using the University of Birmingham's BlueBEAR HPC service, which provides a High Performance Computing service to the University's research community. This research has also been supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (grant no. NE/T00732X/1, NE/G000883/1 and NE/G019231/1) and the Royal Society (grant no. 2007/R2).

Keywords

polarising microscopy
aerosols
water uptake

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1039/d3ea00083dLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

MilsomA2023AcousticFinal published version, 2.67 MBLicence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC BY)

Quantifying the light scattering and atmospheric oxidation rate of real organic films on atmospheric aerosol
Pfrang, C.
Natural Environment Research Council
1/09/20 → 24/12/24
Project: Research Councils

Cite this

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title = "Acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM): water uptake in a nanostructured atmospheric aerosol proxy †",

abstract = "Laboratory studies on levitated particles of atmospheric aerosol proxies have provided significant contributions to our understanding of aerosol processes. We present an experimental method combining acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM) to probe optically birefringent particles, such as the nanostructured surfactant atmospheric aerosol proxy studied here. Birefringent particles were subjected to a step increase in humidity. A decrease in birefringence was measured over time as a result of a nanostructure change, confirmed by complementary synchrotron X-ray scattering. A multi-layer water uptake model was created and fitted to the experimental data, revealing a water diffusion coefficient increase by ca. 5–6 orders of magnitude upon phase transition. This has implications for the timescale of water uptake in surfactant-containing aerosols and their atmospheric lifetimes. This experimental setup has strong potential to be used in conjunction with other levitation methods and in different contexts concerning birefringent materials such as crystallisation.",

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author = "Adam Milsom and Adam Squires and Christopher Brasnett and William Sharratt and Annela Seddon and Christian Pfrang",

note = "Acknowledgements: AM acknowledges funding by the NERC SCENARIO DTP (NE/L002566/1) and support from the NERC CENTA DTP. This work was carried out with the support of the Diamond Light Source (UK), instrument I22 (proposals SM23852 and SM17791). Nick Terrill, Andy Smith, Tim Snow and Olga Shebanova (DLS) are acknowledged for their support during experiments at the DLS. The computations described in this paper were performed using the University of Birmingham's BlueBEAR HPC service, which provides a High Performance Computing service to the University's research community. This research has also been supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (grant no. NE/T00732X/1, NE/G000883/1 and NE/G019231/1) and the Royal Society (grant no. 2007/R2).",

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AU - Seddon, Annela

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N1 - Acknowledgements: AM acknowledges funding by the NERC SCENARIO DTP (NE/L002566/1) and support from the NERC CENTA DTP. This work was carried out with the support of the Diamond Light Source (UK), instrument I22 (proposals SM23852 and SM17791). Nick Terrill, Andy Smith, Tim Snow and Olga Shebanova (DLS) are acknowledged for their support during experiments at the DLS. The computations described in this paper were performed using the University of Birmingham's BlueBEAR HPC service, which provides a High Performance Computing service to the University's research community. This research has also been supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (grant no. NE/T00732X/1, NE/G000883/1 and NE/G019231/1) and the Royal Society (grant no. 2007/R2).

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Y1 - 2023/9/26

N2 - Laboratory studies on levitated particles of atmospheric aerosol proxies have provided significant contributions to our understanding of aerosol processes. We present an experimental method combining acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM) to probe optically birefringent particles, such as the nanostructured surfactant atmospheric aerosol proxy studied here. Birefringent particles were subjected to a step increase in humidity. A decrease in birefringence was measured over time as a result of a nanostructure change, confirmed by complementary synchrotron X-ray scattering. A multi-layer water uptake model was created and fitted to the experimental data, revealing a water diffusion coefficient increase by ca. 5–6 orders of magnitude upon phase transition. This has implications for the timescale of water uptake in surfactant-containing aerosols and their atmospheric lifetimes. This experimental setup has strong potential to be used in conjunction with other levitation methods and in different contexts concerning birefringent materials such as crystallisation.

AB - Laboratory studies on levitated particles of atmospheric aerosol proxies have provided significant contributions to our understanding of aerosol processes. We present an experimental method combining acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM) to probe optically birefringent particles, such as the nanostructured surfactant atmospheric aerosol proxy studied here. Birefringent particles were subjected to a step increase in humidity. A decrease in birefringence was measured over time as a result of a nanostructure change, confirmed by complementary synchrotron X-ray scattering. A multi-layer water uptake model was created and fitted to the experimental data, revealing a water diffusion coefficient increase by ca. 5–6 orders of magnitude upon phase transition. This has implications for the timescale of water uptake in surfactant-containing aerosols and their atmospheric lifetimes. This experimental setup has strong potential to be used in conjunction with other levitation methods and in different contexts concerning birefringent materials such as crystallisation.

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JO - Environmental Science: Atmospheres

JF - Environmental Science: Atmospheres

ER -

Acoustic levitation with polarising optical microscopy (AL-POM): water uptake in a nanostructured atmospheric aerosol proxy †

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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Projects

Quantifying the light scattering and atmospheric oxidation rate of real organic films on atmospheric aerosol

Cite this