Rapid hydrolysis of NO at High Ionic Strengths of Deliquesced Aerosol Particles.

Nitrogen dioxide (NO) hydrolysis in deliquesced aerosol particles forms nitrous acid and nitrate and thus impacts air quality, climate, and the nitrogen cycle. Traditionally, it is considered to proceed far too slowly in the atmosphere. However, the significance of this process is highly uncertain because kinetic studies have only been made in dilute aqueous solutions but not under high ionic strength conditions of the aerosol particles.

In Situ Surface Tension Measurement of Deliquesced Aerosol Particles.

The surface tension of aerosol particles can potentially affect cloud droplet activation. Hence, direct measurement of the surface tensions of deliquesced aerosol particles is essential but is challenging. Here, we report in situ surface tension measurements based on a novel method that couples a linear quadrupole electrodynamic balance (EDB) with quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS).

Detection of Fibril Nucleation in Micrometer-Sized Protein Condensates and Suppression of Sup35NM Fibril Nucleation by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation.

Elucidating the link between amyloid fibril formation and liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) is crucial in understanding the pathologies of various intractable human diseases. However, the effect of condensed protein droplets generated by LLPS on nucleation (the initial step of amyloid formation) remains unclear because of the lack of available quantitative analysis techniques. This study aimed to develop a measurement method for the amyloid droplet nucleation rate based on image analysis.

Development of spray-drying-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

We report a spray-drying method to fabricate silver nanoparticle (AgNP) aggregates for application in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). A custom-built system was used to fabricate AgNP aggregates of four sizes, 48, 86, 151, and 218 nm, from drying droplets containing AgNPs atomized from an AgNP suspension. Sample solutions of Rhodamine B (RhB) at 10, 10, and 10 M concentrations were dropped onto the AgNP aggregates as probe molecules to examine the enhancement of the Raman signals of the RhB.

Photochemical Reactions of Glyoxal during Particulate Ammonium Nitrate Photolysis: Brown Carbon Formation, Enhanced Glyoxal Decay, and Organic Phase Formation.

Glyoxal is an important precursor of aqueous secondary organic aerosol (aqSOA). Its photooxidation to form organic acids and oligomers and reactions with reduced nitrogen compounds to form brown carbon (BrC) have been extensively investigated separately, although these two types of reactions can occur simultaneously during the daytime. Here, we examine the reactions of glyoxal during photooxidation and BrC formation in premixed NHNO + Glyoxal droplets.

Nitrite/Nitrous Acid Generation from the Reaction of Nitrate and Fe(II) Promoted by Photolysis of Iron-Organic Complexes.

Gaseous nitrous acid (HONO) has the potential to greatly contribute to the atmospheric oxidation capacity. Increased attention has been paid to in-particle nitrite or nitrous acid, N(III), as one of the HONO sources. However, sources and formation mechanisms of N(III) remain uncertain.

Production of Formate via Oxidation of Glyoxal Promoted by Particulate Nitrate Photolysis.

Particulate nitrate photolysis can produce oxidants (i.e., OH, NO, and NO/HNO) in aqueous droplets and may play a potential role in increased atmospheric oxidative capacity.

Concluding remarks: Faraday Discussion on air quality in megacities.

Megacities are metropolitan areas with populations over 10 million, and many of them are facing significant global environmental challenges such as air pollution. Intense economic and human activities in megacities result in air pollution emissions, inducing high levels of air pollutants in the atmosphere that harm human health, cause regional haze and acid deposition, damage crops, influence regional air quality, and contribute to climate change. Since the Great London Smog and the first recognized episode of Los Angeles photochemical smog seventy years ago, substantial progress has been achieved in improving the scientific understanding of air pollution and in developing emissions reduction technologies and control measures.

Single particle diversity and mixing state of carbonaceous aerosols in Guangzhou, China.

Many field studies have investigated the formation mechanisms of organic aerosol (OA) based on bulk analysis, yet the source and formation process of individual organic particles may be quite different due to the diversity of chemical composition and mixing state in single particles. Here we present the observation results of chemical composition and mixing state of carbonaceous single particles at an urban site in Guangzhou. The carbonaceous particles accounted for 74.

Contribution of Particulate Nitrate Photolysis to Heterogeneous Sulfate Formation for Winter Haze in China.

Nitrate and sulfate are two key components of airborne particulate matter (PM). While multiple formation mechanisms have been proposed for sulfate, current air quality models commonly underestimate its concentrations and mass fractions during northern China winter haze events. On the other hand, current models usually overestimate the mass fractions of nitrate.

Multiphase Photochemistry of Iron-Chloride Containing Particles as a Source of Aqueous Chlorine Radicals and Its Effect on Sulfate Production.

Photolysis of iron chlorides is a well-known photolytic source of Cl in environmental waters. However, the role of particulate chlorine radicals (Cl and Cl) in their multiphase oxidative potential has been much less explored. Herein, we examine the effect of Cl/Cl produced from photolysis of particulate iron chlorides on atmospheric multiphase oxidation.

Relative Humidity History Affects Hygroscopicity of Mixed Particles of Glyoxal and Reduced Nitrogenous Species.

The relative humidity (RH) history that manifests the cycling of dehydration (water evaporation) and hydration (water uptake) may affect particle-phase reactions, products from which have strong influences on the physical properties and thus climatic effects of atmospheric particles. Using single-trapped particles, we show herein hygroscopic growths of mixed particles with reactive species undergoing three types of RH cycles, simulating different degrees of particle-phase reactions in the atmosphere. The reactive species are the widely known α-dicarbonyl glyoxal (GLY), and five reduced nitrogenous species, ammonium sulfate (AS), glycine (GC), l-alanine (AL), dimethylamine (DMA), and diethylamine (DEA).

Reconciling Measurement and Prediction of Free and Solvated Water in Solution.

In 2019, Wexler showed that, by applying Raoult's law rigorously to aqueous solutions and properly accounting for hydration of solutes, equations can be derived that accurately describe solute and solvent activity over the full range of concentrations from infinitely dilute to pure solutes. One feature of this theory is that it also predicts the amount of water that is free and the amount that is bound to the solute. In 2004 and 2005, Choi and co-workers used an electrodynamic balance to measure (i) the concentration of a range of organic and electrolyte solutes as a function of water activity and (ii) the amount of free and bound water in these solutions using the fluorescence of pyranine as a probe.

Enhanced Sulfate Production by Nitrate Photolysis in the Presence of Halide Ions in Atmospheric Particles.

Heterogeneous oxidation of SO is an effective production pathway of sulfate in the atmosphere. We recently reported a novel pathway for the heterogeneous oxidation of SO by in-particle oxidants (OH, NO, and NO/HNO) produced from particulate nitrate photolysis ( , , 8757-8766). Particulate nitrate is often found to coexist with chloride and other halide ions, especially in aged sea-salt aerosols and combustion aerosols.

Dynamics of lubricious, concentrated PMMA brush layers studied by surface forces and resonance shear measurements.

We employed surface forces and resonance shear measurement (RSM) for studying the structure and properties of typical concentrated polymer brushes (CPBs) of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) in toluene, which are known to show very low friction. The surface forces measured between the silica surfaces bearing PMMA brush layers showed a steric repulsive force at distances between the silica surfaces of less than ca. 1050 nm (Donset).

Heterogeneous Oxidation of SO in Sulfate Production during Nitrate Photolysis at 300 nm: Effect of pH, Relative Humidity, Irradiation Intensity, and the Presence of Organic Compounds.

Heterogeneous oxidation of SO is one of the promising mechanisms to account for high loading of sulfate during severe haze periods in China. Our earlier work reported on the SO oxidation by OH and NO produced during 250 nm nitrate photolysis (. , , 86-91).

Reactive Uptake of Glyoxal by Ammonium-Containing Salt Particles as a Function of Relative Humidity.

Reactions between dissolved ammonia and carbonyls, which form light-absorbing species in atmospheric particles, can be accelerated by actively removing water from the reaction system. Here, we examine the effects of relative humidity (RH) on the reactive uptake of glyoxal (Gly) by aqueous particles of ammonium sulfate (AS), ammonium bisulfate, sodium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, ammonium nitrate (AN), and sodium nitrate. In situ Raman analysis was used to quantify particle-phase Gly and a colored product, 2,2'-biimidazole (BI), as a function of uptake time.

Immobilisation of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibres via electrospinning.

Immobilisation of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) on nanofibres was demonstrated. CGTase solution (1% v/v) and PVA (8 wt%) solution were mixed followed by electrospinning (-9 kV, 3 h). CGTase/PVA nanofibres with an average diameter of 176 ± 46 nm were successfully produced.

Transformation of cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) from aqueous suspension to fine solid particles via electrospraying.

In this study, the potential of electrohydrodynamic atomization or electrospraying to produce nanometer-order CGTase particles from aqueous suspension was demonstrated. CGTase enzyme was prepared in acetate buffer solution (1% v/v), followed by electrospraying in stable Taylor cone-jet mode. The deposits were collected on aluminium foil (collector) at variable distances from the tip of spraying needle, ranging from 10 to 25 cm.