Overview
Topic status: We're looking for students to study this topic.
The ability of atmospheric aerosol to absorb water is a property with widespread implications. Water uptake affects the particle size and phase and therefore influences many physicochemical characteristics of the aerosol such as: the respiratory tract deposition, optical properties, atmospheric lifetime, and chemical reactivity. The hygroscopic property of a particle also determines its ability to serve as a cloud condensation nucleus (CCN). Changes in aerosol water uptake behaviour can therefore lead to changes in both direct and indirect radiative forcing of climate.
Hypothesis/Aims: While the water uptake properties of atmospherically relevant inorganic salts as a function of relative humidity are generally well-known the effects of organics on the overall hygroscopic properties are not yet fully understood. The main objectives would be to evaluate the contributions of organic compounds on the water uptake of aerosol naoparticles.
Approaches: This will be achieved by applying a novel method the VH-TDMA, developed by QUT, that will enable us to look at the change of the structure of the nanoparticles and their ability to uptake water as one of the components is volatilized. Samples will be generated from sea water collected from different coastal environments. As such this project will involve a certain amount of field work in the marine/coastal environment.
- Study level
- Honours
- Supervisors
- QUT
- Organisational unit
Science and Engineering Faculty
- Research area
- Contact
- Please contact the supervisor.
Professor Zoran Ristovski
