Abstract
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is a powerful technique for determining the surface chemical composition of atmospheric particles. In this article, we employed XPS to study atmospheric particles collected from Guangzhou city in typical sites and seasons. The results showed that the weight percentage of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur were about 70.5–87.1%, and these species dominated the surface structure of the particles independent of the collection site and season. Inorganic elements including Si, Na, Ca, Cl, Fe, K, Al, and Cu were also found on the particle surfaces. The high-resolution XPS spectra revealed: (1) High aromatic and aliphatic C-H, and other oxidized carbons were found on the surface of particles. (2) The nitrogen species were characterized by pyridinic, pyrrolic/amide, quaternary type nitrogen functionalities, and nitrate groups, indicating that inorganic and organic N species are both important components of N-containing particles. (3) Sulfate and sulfone groups were also pr...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
