A thermodynamic framework for bulk-surface partitioning in finite-volume mixed organic-inorganic aerosol particles and cloud droplets

Atmospheric aerosol particles and their interactions with clouds are among the largest sources of uncertainty in global climate modeling. Aerosol particles in the ultrafine size range with diameters less than 100 nm have very high surface-area-to-volume ratios, with a substantial fraction of molecules occupying the air-droplet interface. The partitioning of surface-active species between the interior bulk of a droplet and the interface with the surrounding air plays a large role in the physicochemical properties of a particle and in the activation of ultrafine particles, especially those of less than 50 nm diameter, into cloud droplets. In this work, a novel and thermodynamically rigorous treatment of bulk-surface equilibrium partitioning is developed through the use of a framework based on the Aerosol Inorganic-Organic Mixtures Functional groups Activity Coefficients (AIOMFAC) model in combination with a finite-depth Guggenheim interface region on spherical, finite-volume droplets. We outline our numerical implementation of the resulting modified Butler equation, including accounting for challenging extreme cases when certain compounds have very limited solubility in either the surface or the bulk phase. This model, which uses a single, physically constrained interface thickness parameter, is capable of predicting the size-dependent surface tension of complex multicomponent solutions containing organic and inorganic species. We explore the impacts of coupled surface tension changes and changes in bulk-surface partitioning coefficients for aerosol particles ranging in diameters from several micrometers to as small as 10 nm and across atmospherically relevant relative humidity ranges. The treatment of bulk-surface equilibrium leads to deviations from classical cloud droplet activation behavior as modeled by simplified treatments of the Kohler equation that do not account for bulk-surface partitioning. The treatments for bulk-surface partitioning laid out in this work, when applied to the Kohler equation, are in agreement with measured critical supersaturations of a range of different systems. However, we also find that challenges remain in accurately modeling the growth behavior of certain systems containing small dicarboxylic acids, especially in a predictive manner. Furthermore, it was determined that the thickness of the interfacial phase is a sensitive parameter in this treatment; however, constraining it to a meaningful range allows for predictive modeling of aerosol particle activation into cloud droplets, including cases with consideration of co-condensation of semivolatile organics.

Automated summary

In this study, a new thermodynamically rigorous treatment based on the AIOMFAC model and Guggenheim interface is proposed, which can predict the surface tension and cloud droplet activation behavior of aerosol particles of different sizes and is consistent with measured data. However, there are still challenges in accurately modeling the growth behavior of systems containing small dicarboxylic acids.