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Minor components in natural inorganic aerosols dominate surface composition : a contrast between surface and bulk

Kong, Xiangrui ; Fauré, Nicolas ; Preger, Calle LU orcid ; Eriksson, Axel C. LU orcid ; Rissler, Jenny LU and Pettersson, Jan B.C. (2025) In Environmental Science and Technology Letters 12(10). p.1347-1353
Abstract

Aerosol surface composition plays a critical role in atmospheric chemistry but remains poorly characterized, especially for inorganic systems lacking organic surfactants. While bulk composition is typically measured, key interfacial processes, including heterogeneous reactions, water uptake, and cloud activation, occur at the surface. Here, we present the first depth-resolved, in-flight X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of natural salt aerosols generated from hypersaline lake brines in the Qaidam Basin, a pristine region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These organic-poor aerosols offer a unique view of inorganic interfacial behavior. Using a synchrotron-based in-flight aerosol delivery system, we performed real-time,... (More)

Aerosol surface composition plays a critical role in atmospheric chemistry but remains poorly characterized, especially for inorganic systems lacking organic surfactants. While bulk composition is typically measured, key interfacial processes, including heterogeneous reactions, water uptake, and cloud activation, occur at the surface. Here, we present the first depth-resolved, in-flight X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of natural salt aerosols generated from hypersaline lake brines in the Qaidam Basin, a pristine region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These organic-poor aerosols offer a unique view of inorganic interfacial behavior. Using a synchrotron-based in-flight aerosol delivery system, we performed real-time, surface-specific analysis of freely suspended particles. Results reveal strong surface enrichment of minor ions such as Mg2+and SO42–and depletion of major bulk ions like Na+and Cl–. This divergence was consistent across aerosol types and confirmed by ion chromatography of the source brines. A simplified two-layer model indicates a subnanometer surface layer that substantially alters surface identity. Minor components, often overlooked in bulk analyses, dominate the interface and may influence reactivity and cloud activation potential. These findings underscore the need to further investigate the role of surface composition in atmospheric aerosol processes.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Aerodynamic lens, Depth profiling, Heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry, In-flight aerosol, Salt aerosols, Salt lake, Surface composition, Surface ion enrichment, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
in
Environmental Science and Technology Letters
volume
12
issue
10
pages
7 pages
publisher
The American Chemical Society (ACS)
external identifiers
  • scopus:105018581723
ISSN
2328-8930
DOI
10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00398
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
26a49f2f-e0af-4d0b-9865-9552746750c6
date added to LUP
2025-12-05 17:01:36
date last changed
2025-12-11 13:22:17
@article{26a49f2f-e0af-4d0b-9865-9552746750c6,
  abstract     = {{<p>Aerosol surface composition plays a critical role in atmospheric chemistry but remains poorly characterized, especially for inorganic systems lacking organic surfactants. While bulk composition is typically measured, key interfacial processes, including heterogeneous reactions, water uptake, and cloud activation, occur at the surface. Here, we present the first depth-resolved, in-flight X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of natural salt aerosols generated from hypersaline lake brines in the Qaidam Basin, a pristine region on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. These organic-poor aerosols offer a unique view of inorganic interfacial behavior. Using a synchrotron-based in-flight aerosol delivery system, we performed real-time, surface-specific analysis of freely suspended particles. Results reveal strong surface enrichment of minor ions such as Mg<sup>2+</sup>and SO<sub>4</sub><sup>2–</sup>and depletion of major bulk ions like Na<sup>+</sup>and Cl<sup>–</sup>. This divergence was consistent across aerosol types and confirmed by ion chromatography of the source brines. A simplified two-layer model indicates a subnanometer surface layer that substantially alters surface identity. Minor components, often overlooked in bulk analyses, dominate the interface and may influence reactivity and cloud activation potential. These findings underscore the need to further investigate the role of surface composition in atmospheric aerosol processes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kong, Xiangrui and Fauré, Nicolas and Preger, Calle and Eriksson, Axel C. and Rissler, Jenny and Pettersson, Jan B.C.}},
  issn         = {{2328-8930}},
  keywords     = {{Aerodynamic lens; Depth profiling; Heterogeneous atmospheric chemistry; In-flight aerosol; Salt aerosols; Salt lake; Surface composition; Surface ion enrichment; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{1347--1353}},
  publisher    = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
  series       = {{Environmental Science and Technology Letters}},
  title        = {{Minor components in natural inorganic aerosols dominate surface composition : a contrast between surface and bulk}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00398}},
  doi          = {{10.1021/acs.estlett.5c00398}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}