This project involves laboratory investigations of homogeneous nucleation on sulfuric acid and its co-reactants water, ammonia and amines. The objectives are to: (1) measure the nucleation rate of particles formed from amines and sulfuric acid over a range of conditions with a bulk source flow reactor; (2) characterize the experimental flow reactor with a photo-chemical source for sulfuric acid and nucleation rate measurements for a few amines at low sulfuric acid concentrations, (3) develop and use computation fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of the flow reactors, and (4) develop the use of amine sources and detection techniques. The laboratory results will be compared to CFD simulations that treat the cluster chemistry in detail, yielding thermodynamic information for the formation of acid-base clusters.
Nucleation is the driving force for new particle formation in the atmosphere. Newly formed particles can serve as cloud condensation nuclei, important for their role in the indirect effect of atmospheric aerosols on climate. The ultimate goal of this project is to test models for nucleation rates that can be incorporated into global climate models. Undergraduate students will participate in the construction of laboratory apparatuses, running experiments, developing mathematical models, analyzing data, and authoring publications.
