MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a Photoionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PI-TOFMS) to Advance Environmental Research in Water, Soil, and Air

The investigators in this project will acquire a new state-of-the-art observational instrument, a real-time Photoionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometer (PI-TOFMS), which will enable new observations of the molecular structure of the composition of organic materials suspended in air. The project team will use this instrument to take measurements of a range of compounds in our atmosphere which will reduce existing uncertainties and data gaps pertaining to ambient aerosols, wildfire emissions, and microplastics in our environment.

This instrument will supplement existing and planned projects at the Desert Research Institute and will support and provide research training to at least two undergraduate students, four graduate students, and one postdoctoral researcher. Additionally, this project team will conduct STEM training, integrate the instrument and new observations into academic courses and student projects, and conduct outreach and data dissemination to the public.

This PI-TOFMS to be acquired in this project includes three ionization modes: a single photon ionization (SPI) mode, a resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) mode, and an electron ionization (EI) mode. The instrument can be integrated with a Multiwavelength Carbon Analyzer (MWCA) and a Fast Gas Chromatograph (fast GC) to achieve more detailed speciation.

Specific research aims include strengthening research capabilities in the observation of wildfire emissions and microplastics in the environment, to establish source profile libraries for estimating emissions and air and water quality modeling, to develop new educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, and to engage early career researchers in cutting-edge research. A wide range of current and future projects will be enhanced via the acquisition of this PI-TOFMS instrument.

This project is jointly funded by the Atmospheric Chemistry (ATC) Program, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program.

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.