Chemical Characterization of Ultrafine Particles

Objectives:

Aerosols in the environment are known to affect the human health long-term. Increasingly, ultrafine particles (UFPs) with a diameter smaller than 100 nm have caught the attention of the research community. Since the toxicity of these particles is highly dependent on their chemical composition, analytical methods for the qualitative and quantitative analysis are necessary. The standard procedure for this centers around high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with mass spectrometry, which necessitates laborious sample preparation and long measurement durations.

This project focusses on the development and examination of new methods to characterize the molecular composition of fine and ultrafine particles, sampled by cascade impactor setups, with mass spectrometry. So far, our utilization of dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI, SICRIT, Plasmion GmbH, Augsburg) as soft ionization method in combination with in-house developed desorption techniques allows for sensitive measurements within minutes. Further goals of this project include the validation of different methods, characterization of tracer substances in atmospheric aerosols and comparison of particles from different parts in the environment.

Responsible:

Felix Ludwig (Felix.Ludwig@tum.de)

Funding:

Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU Bayern)

Partners:

Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU Bayern)