Shining New Light on the Kinetics of Water Uptake by Organic Aerosol Particles

The uptake of water vapor by various organic aerosols is important in a number of applications ranging from medical delivery of pharmaceutical aerosols to cloud formation in the atmosphere. The coefficient that describes the probability that the impinging gas-phase molecule sticks to the surface of interest is called the mass accommodation coefficient, alpha(M). Despite the importance of this coefficient for the description of water uptake kinetics, accurate values are still lacking for many systems. In this Feature Article, we present various experimental techniques that have been evoked in the literature to study the interfacial transport of water and discuss the corresponding strengths and limitations. This includes our recently developed technique called photothermal single-particle spectroscopy (PSPS). The PSPS technique allows for a retrieval of alpha(M) values from three independent, yet simultaneous measurements operating close to equilibrium, providing a robust assessment of interfacial mass transport. We review the currently available data for alpha(M) for water on various organics and discuss the few studies that address the temperature and relative humidity dependence of alpha(M) for water on organics. The knowledge of the latter, for example, is crucial to assess the water uptake kinetics of organic aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere. Finally, we argue that PSPS might also be a viable method to better restrict the alpha(M) value for water on liquid water.

Automated summary

The uptake of water vapor by various organic aerosols plays a crucial role in applications such as medical delivery of pharmaceutical aerosols and cloud formation in the atmosphere. The mass accommodation coefficient, alpha(M), defines the probability of gas-phase molecules sticking to a surface, but accurate values are lacking for many systems. Experimental techniques, including photothermal single-particle spectroscopy (PSPS), have been used to study interfacial water transport and evaluate alpha(M) values for different organics.