This project supports a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to study the formation and growth of small particles in an environmental chamber. There is significant interest in the formation of small particles in the atmosphere from volatile plant emissions such as isoprene. Measurements in the laboratory will help to quantify the probability of such gas phase species forming aerosol mass in the atmosphere.
A key approach for understanding the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) from isoprene is to study the uptake kinetics of epoxide species such as dihydroxyl epoxides (IEPOX) and methacrylic acid epoxide (MAE) on aerosol particles. Chamber studies will be performed at varying relative humidity (RH) values to explore the effects of viscosity on reactive uptake. This research will also examine the evolution of particle chemical composition as a function of viscosity both qualitatively and quantitatively through mass spectroscopic techniques. Results obtained from this research will improve models used in climate studies, air quality assessment, epidemiology, and other areas of environmental health that can affect public policy related to climate change and public health.
