MRI: Acquisition of Instrumentation for Real-Time Molecular Level Measurement of Atmospheric Gas- and Particle-Phase Com pounds

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). This project supports the acquisition of a FIGAERO-HR-ToF-CIMS that will enable the PI to detect various organic and inorganic compounds in gas- and particle-phases with high mass-resolution in real-time. This advanced mass spectrometer can also detect the detailed chemical composition of naturally occurring ion clusters containing sulfuric acid, ammonia, amines, iodic acids, and various highly oxidized organic molecules (HOMs) within a large range of volatilities.

The instrument is also field-deployable. This instrument will greatly strengthen the research and educational infrastructure in atmospheric and climate sciences at multiple user institutions for faculty and graduate and undergraduate students, including women and underrepresented members in science and technology fields.

The instrument will be shared among multiple PIs at four shared-user institutions: the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Delaware, the University of Georgia, and the University of Iowa. Collaborative research underway or planned for future use of the instrument includes the following projects: (1) the chemical mechanisms of isoprene suppression of new particle formation (NPF) under the conditions relevant to mixed deciduous forests in the US; (2) how ions vs. neutral clusters and HOMs vs. sulfuric acid contribute to new particle formation at high-elevation; (3) how the chemical composition of gas- and aerosol-phase organics contribute to the growth of nanoparticles; (4) how the chemical composition and hygroscopy of organics affect the aging of marine aerosols; and (5) the novel chemistry of siloxanes involved in aerosol formation.

This instrument will help an early-career female faculty member build a strong research program to study the chemical processes involved in aerosol particles and will support research in 3 EPSCoR states.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.