Ice Nanoparticles Research Articles

Does HNO3 dissociate on gas-phase ice nanoparticles?

We investigated the dissociation of nitric acid on large water clusters (H2O)N, N̄ ≈ 30-500, i.e., ice nanoparticles with diameters of 1-3 nm, in a molecular beam. The (H2O)N clusters were doped with single HNO3 molecules in a pickup cell and probed by mass spectrometry after a low-energy (1.5-15 eV) electron attachment. The negative ion mass spectra provided direct evidence for HNO3 dissociation with the formation of NO3-⋯H3O+ ion pairs, but over half of the observed cluster ions originated from non-dissociated HNO3 molecules. This behavior is in contrast with the complete dissociation of nitric acid on amorphous ice surfaces above 100 K. Thus, the proton transfer is significantly suppressed on nanometer-sized particles compared to macroscopic ice surfaces. This can have considerable implications for heterogeneous processes on atmospheric ice particles.

Collisions between CO, CO_2, H_2O and Ar ice nanoparticles compared by molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study collisions between amorphous ice nanoparticles consisting of CO, CO_2, Ar and H_2O. The collisions are always sticking for the nanoparticle size (radius of 20 nm) considered. At higher collision velocities, the merged clusters show strong plastic deformation and material mixing in the collision zone. Collision-induced heating influences the collision outcome. Partial melting of the merged cluster in the collision zone contributes to energy dissipation and deformation. Considerable differences exist—even at comparable collision conditions—between the ices studied here. The number of ejecta emitted during the collision follows the trend in triple-point temperatures and increases exponentially with the NP temperature.

Temperature (200–283 K) dependence of methane adsorption onto hydrophobic nanosilica/arginine composite at various hydration

It has been assumed that nanoparticle/aggregate/agglomerate structure, texture and surface characteristics of hydrophobic nanosilica AM1 treated with certain amounts of arginine and water may provide better conditions for methane adsorption compared to AM1 alone. Nanosilica and composites are characterized using adsorption, desorption, microscopic, spectroscopic, XRD, SAXS, and quantum chemistry methods. The 1H NMR spectroscopy (at 200–283 K) and cryoporometry (T < 273 K) methods have been applied to AM1/arginine differently wetted and mechanically treated. The wetted blends have been studied in the methane atmosphere without or with addition of chloroform-d. In mechanically treated wetted blends, arginine (initially crystalline) is nanostructured and amorphous. In the powders wetted at 0.1–0.5 g of water per gram of dry solids, interaction energy of unfrozen water with nanoparticles depends nonmonotonically on the degree of hydration. The value of the free surface energy is maximal at the hydration of 0.3 g/g. Bound water, which partially fills interparticle voids and may remain liquid or forms amorphous ice nanoparticles at lower temperatures, provides enhanced nanoporosity in wetted composites. This is appropriate for the methane adsorption up to 7.3–4.9 wt% at 199–283 K.

CO2 condensation onto alkanes: unconventional cases of heterogeneous nucleation.

The classical picture invoked for heterogeneous nucleation is frequently that of a liquid condensing onto an immiscible solid particle. Here, we examine heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 onto particles comprised of n-pentane or n-hexane under conditions where CO2 should be a solid and the seed particles may be liquid or solid. Although CO2 condensed under all but one of the six conditions investigated, these experiments do not easily fit into the framework of standard heterogeneous nucleation experiments. Rather they explore unconventional regimes of heterogeneous nucleation in which the state of the seed particle may both affect whether deposition can proceed, and, in turn, be influenced by the presence of the condensing species. The work complements the earlier work of Tanimura et al. [RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 105537-105550] that investigated CO2 condensation onto ice nanoparticles, by using seed particles comprised of non-polar compounds that form and freeze under conditions where CO2 is already supersaturated with respect to the solid ice. In some cases, the conditions for seed formation approach the limit of homogeneous CO2 nucleation. Vibrational spectroscopy measurements help pinpoint where CO2 starts to condense. Furthermore, these IR measurements suggest that the n-alkanes never freeze in the presence of CO2, even if the temperatures are well below those required for them to freeze when CO2 is absent. Over the temperature range 65 < T/K < 140, the conditions corresponding to the onset of CO2 heterogeneous nucleation on pre-existing seed particle almost all lie very close to the extrapolated vapor-liquid equilibrium line of CO2 for a broad range of seed materials.

Ionization of carboxylic acid clusters in the gas phase and on free ArN and (H2O)N nanoparticles: valeric acid as a model for small carboxylic acids.

We investigate ionization of valeric (n-pentanoic) acid clusters both in the gas phase and on argon and water nanoparticles using mass spectrometry. Compared to the ionization of a single valeric acid molecule, new reaction channels are observed in clusters, mostly attributed to proton transfer between two valeric acid molecules and formation of valeric anhydride. These reactions are also observed when valeric acid molecules are deposited and generate clusters on ArN, and are independent of the ionization method, whether electron ionization or photoionization is used. Valeric acid clusters exhibit a high water affinity, both in neutral clusters and after ionization. When valeric acid is adsorbed on (H2O)M ice nanoparticles, no new specific reactions with water are observed. However, in this case, electron ionization yields mostly protonated water clusters while the photoionization spectrum does not differ significantly from free and ArN-deposited valeric acid clusters. Based on quantum chemical calculations, we extrapolate our results to carboxylic acids with 1-8 carbon atoms. The calculations show that the high affinity to water can be expected in the whole investigated size range while the highest probability of anhydride formation is predicted for n = 3-6. The observed reaction patterns in the ionization of valeric acid are thus prototypical for ionization of clusters of short-chain fatty acids.

Mass spectrometry of aerosol particle analogues in molecular beam experiments.

Nanometer-size particles such as ultrafine aerosol particles, ice nanoparticles, water nanodroplets, etc, play an important, however, not yet fully understood role in the atmospheric chemistry and physics. These species are often composed of water with admixture of other atmospherically relevant molecules. To mimic and investigate such particles in laboratory experiments, mixed water clusters with atmospherically relevant molecules can be generated in molecular beams and studied by various mass spectrometric methods. The present review demonstrates that such experiments can provide unprecedented details of reaction mechanisms, and detailed insight into the photon-, electron-, and ion-induced processes relevant to the atmospheric chemistry. After a brief outline of the molecular beam preparation, cluster properties, and ionization methods, we focus on the mixed clusters with various atmospheric molecules, such as hydrated sulfuric acid and nitric acid clusters, Nx Oy and halogen-containing molecules with water. A special attention is paid to their reactivity and solvent effects of water molecules on the observed processes.

Clustering of Uracil Molecules on Ice Nanoparticles

We generate a molecular beam of ice nanoparticles (H2O)N, N̅ ≈ 130-220, which picks up several individual gas phase uracil (U) or 5-bromouracil (BrU) molecules. The mass spectra of the doped nanoparticles prove that the uracil and bromouracil molecules coagulate to clusters on the ice nanoparticles. Calculations of U and BrU monomers and dimers on the ice nanoparticles provide theoretical support for the cluster formation. The (U)mH+ and (BrU)mH+ intensity dependencies on m extracted from the mass spectra suggest a smaller tendency of BrU to coagulate compared to U, which is substantiated by a lower mobility of bromouracil on the ice surface. The hydrated Um·(H2O)nH+ series are also reported and discussed. On the basis of comparison with the previous experiments, we suggest that the observed propensity for aggregation on ice nanoparticles is a more general trend for biomolecules forming strong hydrogen bonds. This, together with their mobility, leads to their coagulation on ice nanoparticles which is an important aspect for astrochemistry.

Biomolecule Analogues 2-Hydroxypyridine and 2-Pyridone Base Pairing on Ice Nanoparticles.

Ice nanoparticles (H2O)N, N ≈ 450 generated in a molecular beam experiment pick up individual gas phase molecules of 2-hydroxypyridine and 2-pyridone (HP) evaporated in a pickup cell at temperatures between 298 and 343 K. The mass spectra of the doped nanoparticles show evidence for generation of clusters of adsorbed molecules (HP)n up to n = 8. The clusters are ionized either by 70 eV electrons or by two photons at 315 nm (3.94 eV). The two ionization methods yield different spectra, and their comparison provides an insight into the neutral cluster composition, ionization and intracluster ion-molecule reactions, and cluster fragmentation. Quite a few molecules were reported not to coagulate on ice nanoparticles previously. The (HP)n cluster generation on ice nanoparticles represents the first evidence for coagulating of molecules and cluster formation on free ice nanoparticles. For comparison, we investigate the coagulation of HP molecules picked up on large clusters ArN, N ≈ 205, and also (HP)n clusters generated in supersonic expansions with Ar buffer gas. This comparison points to a propensity for the (HP)2 dimer generation on ice nanoparticles. This shows the feasibility of base pairing for model of biological molecules on free ice nanoparticles. This result is important for hypotheses of the biomolecule synthesis on ice grains in the space. We support our findings by theoretical calculations that show, among others, the HP dimer structures on water clusters.

Sodium doping and reactivity in pure and mixed ice nanoparticles*

Doping of clusters by sodium atoms and subsequent photoionization (NaPI) is used as a fragmentation-free cluster ionization method. Here we investigate different clusters using NaPI and electron ionization (EI) with a reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometer (RTOF). The mass spectra of the same clusters ionized by NaPI and EI reveal significant differences which point to Na reactivity in the clusters. First, we discuss mixed X M ·(H2O) N (X = HNO3, N2O) clusters where reactions between Na and molecules X leads to the “cluster invisibility” for the NaPI method. Second, mixed (NH3) M ·(H2O) N clusters are observed by both methods, but they reveal different cluster compositions, and the mass spectra suggest that neither the EI nor the NaPI spectrum corresponds exactly to the neutral cluster distribution. Finally, we discuss the reactions of Na in pure water clusters as a function of the number of Na atoms doped into the clusters. In summary, we present experimental evidence that the NaPI method in the present cases does not reveal the size and composition of the neutral clusters. A detailed understanding of Na reactivity in the clusters is needed for its application as a fragmentation-free cluster ionization method. Besides, we introduce the combination of NaPI and EI as a new tool to investigate the sodium reactivity in clusters and aerosol particles.

Tuning surface plasmon resonance by the plastic deformation of Au nanoparticles within a diamond anvil cell

In this work, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) is tuned by controlling the deformation of Au nanoparticles within a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Colloidal Au nanoparticles were loaded into a DAC and pressurized into a mixture of ice and Au nanoparticles. The Au nanoparticles were reshaped by their anisotropic compression of surrounding ice, which leads to the spectral variations of absorption peaks, broadening or red-shifting. These spectral features are well tuned by controlling the deformation process of Au nanoparticle with choosing the initial intended thickness of DAC gasket. The mechanical properties of Au nanoparticles are also revealed by the shape-dependent SPR in nanometer scale. This result provides us a way to fabricate Au nanoparticles into new shapes and tune SPR of metallic nanoparticles with pressure.

Lack of Aggregation of Molecules on Ice Nanoparticles

Multiple molecules adsorbed on the surface of nanosized ice particles can either remain isolated or form aggregates, depending on their mobility. Such (non)aggregation may subsequently drive the outcome of chemical reactions that play an important role in atmospheric chemistry or astrochemistry. We present a molecular beam experiment in which the controlled number of guest molecules is deposited on the water and argon nanoparticles in a pickup chamber and their aggregation is studied mass spectrometrically. The studied molecules (HCl, CH3Cl, CH3CH2CH2Cl, C6H5Cl, CH4, and C6H6) form large aggregates on argon nanoparticles. On the other hand, no aggregation is observed on ice nanoparticles. Molecular simulations confirm the experimental results; they reveal a high degree of aggregation on the argon nanoparticles and show that the molecules remain mostly isolated on the water ice surface. This finding will influence the efficiency of ice grain-mediated synthesis (e.g., in outer space) and is also important for the cluster science community because it shows some limitations of pickup experiments on water clusters.

Following heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 on H2O ice nanoparticles with microsecond resolution

Heterogeneous nucleation of CO2 on H2O ice particles in supersonic nozzles.

Massively parallel molecular-dynamics simulation of ice crystallisation and melting: the roles of system size, ensemble, and electrostatics.

Ice crystallisation and melting was studied via massively parallel molecular dynamics under periodic boundary conditions, using approximately spherical ice nano-particles (both "isolated" and as a series of heterogeneous "seeds") of varying size, surrounded by liquid water and at a variety of temperatures. These studies were performed for a series of systems ranging in size from ∼1 × 10(6) to 8.6 × 10(6) molecules, in order to establish system-size effects upon the nano-clusters" crystallisation and dissociation kinetics. Both "traditional" four-site and "single-site" and water models were used, with and without formal point charges, dipoles, and electrostatics, respectively. Simulations were carried out in the microcanonical and isothermal-isobaric ensembles, to assess the influence of "artificial" thermo- and baro-statting, and important disparities were observed, which declined upon using larger systems. It was found that there was a dependence upon system size for both ice growth and dissociation, in that larger systems favoured slower growth and more rapid melting, given the lower extent of "communication" of ice nano-crystallites with their periodic replicae in neighbouring boxes. Although the single-site model exhibited less variation with system size vis-à-vis the multiple-site representation with explicit electrostatics, its crystallisation-dissociation kinetics was artificially fast.

Imaging of hydrogen halides photochemistry on argon and ice nanoparticles.

The photodissociation dynamics of HX (X = Cl, Br) molecules deposited on large ArN and (H2O)N, N̄ ≈ 10(2)-10(3), clusters is investigated at 193 nm using velocity map imaging of H and Cl photofragments. In addition, time-of-flight mass spectrometry after electron ionization complemented by pickup cross section measurements provide information about the composition and structure of the clusters. The hydrogen halides coagulate efficiently to generate smaller (HX)n clusters on ArN upon multiple pickup conditions. This implies a high mobility of HX molecules on argon. On the other hand, the molecules remain isolated on (H2O)N. The photodissociation on ArN leads to strong H-fragment caging manifested by the fragment intensity peaking sharply at zero kinetic energy. Some of the Cl-fragments from HCl photodissociation on ArN are also caged, while some of the fragments escape the cluster directly without losing their kinetic energy. The images of H-fragments from HX on (H2O)N also exhibit a strong central intensity, however, with a different kinetic energy distribution which originates from different processes: the HX acidic dissociation followed by H3O neutral hydronium radical formation after the UV excitation, and the slow H-fragments stem from subsequent decay of the H3O. The corresponding Cl-cofragment from the photoexcitation of the HCl·(H2O)N is trapped in the ice nanoparticle.

Clustering and Photochemistry of Freon CF2Cl2 on Argon and Ice Nanoparticles

The photochemistry of CF2Cl2 molecules deposited on argon and ice nanoparticles was investigated. The clusters were characterized via electron ionization mass spectrometry, and the photochemistry was revealed by the Cl fragment velocity map imaging after the CF2Cl2 photodissociation at 193 nm. The complex molecular beam experiment was complemented by ab initio calculations. The (CF2Cl2)n clusters were generated in a coexpansion with Ar buffer gas. The photodissociation of molecules in the (CF2Cl2)n clusters yields predominantly Cl fragments with zero kinetic energy: caging. The CF2Cl2 molecules deposited on large argon clusters in a pickup experiment are highly mobile and coagulate to form the (CF2Cl2)n clusters on ArN. The photodissociation of the CF2Cl2 molecules and clusters on ArN leads to the caging of the Cl fragment. On the other hand, the CF2Cl2 molecules adsorbed on the (H2O)N ice nanoparticles do not form clusters, and no Cl fragments are observed from their photodissociation. Since the CF2Cl2 molecule was clearly adsorbed on (H2O)N, the missing Cl signal is interpreted in terms of surface orientation, possibly via the so-called halogen bond and/or embedding of the CF2Cl2 molecule on the disordered surface of the ice nanoparticles.

Growth of ice nanoparticles via uptake of individual molecules: pickup cross sections

We present cross sections for pickup of several atmospherically relevant molecules on ice nanoparticles with the 0.5-3 nm diameter range. The experimental values are supported by molecular dynamics simulations and analytical calculations based on long-range cluster-molecule potentials. The cross sections are all considerably larger than the geometrical cross section of nanoparticle and vary significantly for different guest molecules.

Adsorption of Glyoxal (CHOCHO) and Its UV Photolysis Products on the Surface of Atmospheric Ice Nanoparticles. DFT and Density Functional Tight-Binding Study

The structures, energies, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and thermodynamic parameters of the water clusters (H2O)48, (H2O)72, and (H2O)270 were calculated using the standard DFT theory (BLYP/6-31++G(d,p) for small and medium clusters) and the modern tight-binding method SCC-DFTB (DFTBA and DFTB+). The adsorption and embedding of s-cis- and s-trans-glyoxal molecules as well as its sunlight UV photolysis products (molecules CH2O, HCOOH, H2O2, CO, CO2 and radicals CHO, HO, HO2) on nanosized ice clusters of up to 2.5 nm in diameter were studied within the above theoretical models. The structures of adsorption complexes on different sites of ice nanoparticles, the corresponding adsorption energies and thermodynamic parameters were estimated. We found that the DFTB method is a very promising tool for the calculations of structures and energies of ice nanoparticles, when compared to both DFT and semiempirical (PM3) methods. The obtained results are discussed in relation to the possible photolysis pathways, the reaction rates in the gas phase and in the adsorbed state, and the mechanisms of glyoxal photolysis catalyzed by the ice nanoparticles in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Atmospheric processes on ice nanoparticles in molecular beams.

This review summarizes some recent experiments with ice nanoparticles (large water clusters) in molecular beams and outlines their atmospheric relevance: (1) Investigation of mixed water–nitric acid particles by means of the electron ionization and sodium doping combined with photoionization revealed the prominent role of HNO3 molecule as the condensation nuclei. (2) The uptake of atmospheric molecules by water ice nanoparticles has been studied, and the pickup cross sections for some molecules exceed significantly the geometrical sizes of the ice nanoparticles. (3) Photodissociation of hydrogen halides on water ice particles has been shown to proceed via excitation of acidically dissociated ion pair and subsequent biradical generation and H3O dissociation. The photodissociation of CF2Cl2 molecules in clusters is also mentioned. Possible atmospheric consequences of all these results are briefly discussed.

Water ice nanoparticles: size and temperature effects on the mid-infrared spectrum

Mid-infrared spectra have been measured for cubic ice (I(c)) nanoparticles (3-150 nm diameter) formed by rapid collisional cooling over a wide range of temperatures (5-209 K). Spectral diagnostics, such as the ratio of surface related dangling OH to interior H-bonded OH stretch bands, reveal the manner in which particle size depends on bath gas temperature and density, and on water molecule concentration. For particles smaller than 5 nm strained intermolecular bonds on the surface and subsurface cause the predominant OH stretch peak position to be dramatically blue shifted by up to 40 cm(-1). In the size regime of 8-200 nm the position of the OH stretch absorption band maximum is relatively unaffected by particle size and it is possible to measure the temperature dependence of the peak location without influences from the surface or scattering. The band maximum shifts in a linear fashion from 3218 cm(-1) at 30 K to 3253 cm(-1) at 209 K, which may assist with temperature profiling of ice particles in atmospheric clouds and extraterrestrial systems. Over the same temperature range the librational mode band shifts very little, from 870 to 860 cm(-1). In the water stretching and bending regions discrete spectral features associated with the surface or sub-surface layers have been detected in particles as large as 80 nm.

Nucleation of Mixed Nitric Acid-Water Ice Nanoparticles in Molecular Beams that Starts with a HNO3 Molecule.

Mixed (HNO3)m(H2O)n clusters generated in supersonic expansion of nitric acid vapor are investigated in two different experiments, (1) time-of-flight mass spectrometry after electron ionization and (2) Na doping and photoionization. This combination of complementary methods reveals that only clusters containing at least one acid molecule are generated, that is, the acid molecule serves as the nucleation center in the expansion. The experiments also suggest that at least four water molecules are needed for HNO3 acidic dissociation. The clusters are undoubtedly generated, as proved by electron ionization; however, they are not detected by the Na doping due to a fast charge-transfer reaction between the Na atom and HNO3. This points to limitations of the Na doping recently advocated as a general method for atmospheric aerosol detection. On the other hand, the combination of the two methods introduces a tool for detecting molecules with sizable electron affinity in clusters.