Molecular Imaging Reveals Two Distinct Mixing States of PM2.5 Particles Sampled in a Typical Beijing Winter Pollution Case

Mixing states of aerosol particles are crucial for understanding the role of aerosols in influencing air quality and climate. However, a fundamental understanding of the complex mixing states is still lacking because most traditional analysis techniques only reveal bulk chemical and physical propert...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Environmental science & technology 2023-04, Vol.57 (15), p.6273-6283
Main Authors:	Li, Ye, Zhou, Yadong, Guo, Wenxiao, Zhang, Xin, Huang, Ye, He, Erkai, Li, Runkui, Yan, Beizhan, Wang, Hailong, Mei, Fan, Liu, Min, Zhu, Zihua
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	3-D molecular imaging Aerosols Air quality core-shell structure ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Ion exchange Light pollution Light sources mixing state Occurrence, Fate, and Transport of Contaminants in Indoor Air and Atmosphere Particulate matter Physical properties PM2.5 surface chemistry Winter
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Summary:	Mixing states of aerosol particles are crucial for understanding the role of aerosols in influencing air quality and climate. However, a fundamental understanding of the complex mixing states is still lacking because most traditional analysis techniques only reveal bulk chemical and physical properties with limited surface and 3-D information. In this research, 3-D molecular imaging enabled by ToF-SIMS was used to elucidate the mixing states of PM2.5 samples obtained from a typical Beijing winter haze event. In light pollution cases, a thin organic layer covers separated inorganic particles; while in serious pollution cases, ion exchange and an organic–inorganic mixing surface on large-area particles were observed. The new results provide key 3-D molecular information of mixing states, which is highly potential for reducing uncertainty and bias in representing aerosol–cloud interactions in current Earth System Models and improving the understanding of aerosols on air quality and human health.
ISSN:	0013-936X 1520-5851