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Wet and dry sizes of atmospheric aerosol particles: An AFM‐TEM Study
Author(s) -
Pósfai Mihály,
Xu Huifang,
Anderson James R.,
Buseck Peter R.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/98gl01416
Subject(s) - transmission electron microscopy , aerosol , particle (ecology) , atomic force microscopy , ammonium sulfate , materials science , electron microscope , analytical chemistry (journal) , mineralogy , environmental chemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , meteorology , optics , geology , physics , oceanography , metallurgy
We studied the hygroscopic behavior of atmospheric aerosols by using a novel approach, the combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging of the same individual particles. By comparing the dimensions of hydrated and dry ammonium sulfate particles collected above the North Atlantic Ocean, we determined that particle volumes are up to four times larger under ambient conditions (as determined by AFM) than in the vacuum of a transmission electron microscope. We interpret these changes as resulting from the loss of water. Organic films on the particles may be responsible for the relatively large water uptake at low relative humidities.