Development of Soft Ionization for Particulate Organic Detection with the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer

Abstract

During this DOE SBIR Phase II project, we have successfully developed several soft ionization techniques, i.e., ionization schemes which involve less fragmentation of the ions, for use with the Aerodyne time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (ToF-AMS). Vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization was demonstrated in the laboratory and deployed in field campaigns. Vacuum ultraviolet single photon ionization allows better identification of organic species in aerosol particles as shown in laboratory experiments on single component particles, and in field measurements on complex multi-component particles. Dissociative electron attachment with lower energy electrons (less than 30 eV) was demonstrated in the measurement of particulate organics in chamber experiments in Switzerland, and is now a routine approach with AMS systems configured for bipolar, negative ion detection. This technique is particularly powerful for detection of acidic and other highly oxygenated secondary organic aerosol (SOA) chemical functionality. Low energy electron ionization (10 to 12 eV) is also a softer ionization approach routinely available to AMS users. Finally, Lithium ion attachment has been shown to be sensitive to more alkyl-like chemical functionality in SOA. Results from Mexico City are particularly exciting in observing changes in SOA molecular composition under different photochemical/meteorological conditions. More recent results detecting biomass burns at the Montana fire lab have demonstrated quantitative and selective detection of levoglucosan. These soft ionization techniques provide the ToF-AMS with better capability for identifying organic species in ambient atmospheric aerosol particles. This, in turn, will allow more detailed study of the sources, transformations and fate of organic-containing aerosol.