Abstract
There are an increasing number of articles in the scientific literature dealing with the study of atmospheric aerosol because it has negative impacts on human health, atmospheric visibility and a role in the radiative forcing. Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has been used since its birth for the study of the aerosol composition, and for a long time, it has been the dominating technique for its elemental analysis. However, nowadays other competitive techniques play a dominant role, such as inductively coupled plasma–mass/atomic emission spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence and synchrotron radiation. Therefore, it is important to find specific applications where it can give unique information or the final results in a far simpler way. Furthermore, a proper experimental setup must be used to fully exploit the potential of PIXE. Thanks to the capability of detecting all the crustal elements, PIXE analyses are unrivaled in the study of mineral dust. Among the detectable elements, there are also important markers of anthropogenic sources, which allow effective source apportionment studies in polluted urban environments using multivariate methods. Examples regarding recent monitoring campaigns will be presented to show how PIXE is still on the cutting edge for the study of particulate matter.
Highlights
The presence of atmospheric aerosols or particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere impacts the environment by the reduction in the visibility, formation of clouds, effecting heat transfer in the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the climate change [1, 2]
Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) detects with good accuracy all the soil-related elements [12]. (The sample mineralization by concentrated HF prevents the determination of Si by ICP, one of the most relevant crustal markers.) No sample preparation or extraction is necessary; the contamination from chemical reagents and the possible loss of volatile elements in the sample are reduced compared to ICP-MS
It is a technique for the elemental analysis of a sample, which is used as a target for the bombardment with a beam of accelerated particles; the interactions of the beam particles with the target atoms lead to the emission of X-rays of characteristic energies, through the detection of which the target composition can be deduced
Summary
The presence of atmospheric aerosols or particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere impacts the environment by the reduction in the visibility, formation of clouds, effecting heat transfer in the atmosphere, thereby contributing to the climate change [1, 2]. The data for the major elements (S, Na, Cl, Al, Si and Fe) are necessary for the determination of the contributions of important aerosol types (e.g., sea salt and crustal material) and for the achievement of the chemical mass closure. (The sample mineralization by concentrated HF prevents the determination of Si by ICP, one of the most relevant crustal markers.) No sample preparation or extraction is necessary; the contamination from chemical reagents and the possible loss of volatile elements in the sample are reduced compared to ICP-MS. This is fundamental for very low mass samples (e.g., remote sites aerosol) [13]. Some examples of typical applications will be presented to show how, compared to other competing techniques, those based on ion beam analysis techniques like PIXE are still on the cutting edge for the study of particulate matter
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