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Formation and growth of sub-3-nm aerosol particles in experimental chambers

Nature Protocols volume 15, pages 1013–1040 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Atmospheric new particle formation (NPF), which is observed in many environments globally, is an important source of boundary-layer aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei, which affect both the climate and human health. To better understand the mechanisms behind NPF, chamber experiments can be used to simulate this phenomenon under well-controlled conditions. Recent advancements in instrumentation have made it possible to directly detect the first steps of NPF of molecular clusters (~1–2 nm in diameter) and to calculate quantities such as the formation and growth rates of these clusters. Whereas previous studies reported particle formation rates as the flux of particles across a specified particle diameter or calculated them from measurements of larger particle sizes, this protocol outlines methods to directly quantify particle dynamics for cluster sizes. Here, we describe the instrumentation and analysis methods needed to quantify particle dynamics during NPF of sub-3-nm aerosol particles in chamber experiments. The methods described in this protocol can be used to make results from different chamber experiments comparable. The experimental setup, collection and post-processing of the data, and thus completion of this protocol, take from months up to years, depending on the chamber facility, experimental plan and level of expertise. Use of this protocol requires engineering capabilities and expertise in data analysis.

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Fig. 1: Simulated NPF experiment and instrument response.
Fig. 2: Anticipated results from an NPF experiment performed in a chamber.
Fig. 3: Calculation of GRs from chamber experiments using the maximum concentration method and the appearance time method.

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Acknowledgements

The CLOUD community is gratefully acknowledged for invaluable discussions. Partial funding was provided by the Academy of Finland (project nos. 316114 and 325647). The work was also supported by the Academy of Finland via the BioFuture2025 project ‘Nano BioMass’, an Academy professor project of M.K. and the Center of Excellence in Atmospheric Sciences (project no. 307331), the European Commission via ACTRIS2 (project no. 654109) and the European Research Council via advanced grant ATM-GTP (project no. 742206).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Lubna Dada, Katrianne Lehtipalo, Jenni Kontkanen, Tuomo Nieminen, Rima Baalbaki, Lauri Ahonen, Jonathan Duplissy, Chao Yan, Biwu Chu, Tuukka Petäjä, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala & Juha Kangasluoma

  2. Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

    Katrianne Lehtipalo

  3. Helsinki Institute of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Jonathan Duplissy

  4. Aerosol and Haze Laboratory, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China

    Chao Yan, Markku Kulmala & Juha Kangasluoma

  5. Joint International Research Laboratory of Atmospheric and Earth System Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Tuukka Petäjä

  6. Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Kari Lehtinen

  7. Atmospheric Research Centre of Eastern Finland, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Kuopio, Finland

    Kari Lehtinen

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Contributions

L.D., K. Lehtipalo, J. Kontkanen, T.N., K. Lehtinen, V.-M.K. and M.K. contributed to the development of the technique for calculating Jdp and GR. R.B., L.A., J.D., T.P., C.Y., B.C. and J. Kangasluoma contributed to development of the technique for calibrating and minimizing losses during particle measurement. All authors contributed to the writing of this protocol and to the scientific discussions related to it.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Markku Kulmala or Juha Kangasluoma.

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Peer review information Nature Protocols thanks Véronique Riffault and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Key references using this protocol

Lehtipalo, K. et al. Sci. Adv. 4, eaau5363 (2018): https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau5363

Wagner, R. et al. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 17, 15181–15197 (2017): https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-15181-2017

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Dada, L., Lehtipalo, K., Kontkanen, J. et al. Formation and growth of sub-3-nm aerosol particles in experimental chambers. Nat Protoc 15, 1013–1040 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41596-019-0274-z

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