Atmospheric Aerosols

Our group's research centers on the development and application of advanced instrumentation for real-time, quantitative measurements of the size, chemical composition, and morphology of submicron aerosols. We care about atmospheric aerosols for many reasons, including their effect on radiation balance (climate forcing), severe short-term and long-term effects on human health, reduced visibility, and acid deposition ("acid rain"). Most of these effects are not well understood, in good part due to the limitations of the instrumentation available. Advanced instrumentation can be used to make much faster progress in many of these areas. Aerosols are also important for other applications such as nanomaterials fabrication and pharmaceutical drug delivery.

Selected Publications

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P.F. DeCarlo, E.J. Dunlea, J.R. Kimmel, A.C. Aiken, D. Sueper, J. Crounse, P.O. Wennberg, L. Emmons, Y. Shinozuka, A. Clarke, J. Zhou, J. Tomlinson, D. Collins, D. Knapp, A. Weinheimer, T. Campos, and J.L. Jimenez. Fast Airborne Aerosol Size and Chemistry Measurements with the High Resolution Aerosol Mass Spectrometer during the MILAGRO Campaign. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Dicussions, 7, 18269-18317, 2007. Paper

A.C. Aiken, P.F. DeCarlo, and J.L. Jimenez. Elemental Analysis of Organic Species with Electron Ionization High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry, 79, 8350-8358, doi:10.1021/ac071150w, 2007. PDF

Q. Zhang, J.L. Jimenez et al. Ubiquity and Dominance of Oxygenated Species in Organic Aerosols in Anthropogenically—Influenced Northern Hemisphere Mid-latitudes. Geophysical Research Letters, 34, L13801, doi:10.1029/2007GL029979, 2007. PDF

K. Dzepina, J. Arey, L.C. Marr, D.R. Worsnop, D. Salcedo, Q. Zhang, T.B. Onasch, L.T. Molina, M.J. Molina, and J.L. Jimenez. Detection of Particle-Phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Mexico City using an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 263(2-3), 152-170, 2007. PDF

Canagaratna, M.R., Jayne, J.T., Jimenez, J.L., Allan, J.D., Alfarra, M.R, Zhang, Q., Onasch, T.B., Drewnick, F., Coe, H., Middlebrook, A., Delia, A., Williams, L.R., Trimborn, A.M., Northway, M.J., DeCarlo, P.F., Kolb, C.E., Davidovits, P., Worsnop, D.R. Chemical and Microphysical Characterization of Ambient Aerosols with the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. Mass Spectrometry Reviews, 26, 185– 222, 2007. PDF

P.F. DeCarlo, J.R. Kimmel, A. Trimborn, M.J. Northway, J.T. Jayne, A.C. Aiken, M. Gonin, K. Fuhrer, T. Horvath, K. Docherty, D.R. Worsnop, and J.L. Jimenez. Field-Deployable, High-Resolution, Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. Analytical Chemistry, 78: 8281-8289, 2006. PDF

R. Volkamer, J.L. Jimenez, F. San Martini, K. Dzepina, Q. Zhang, D. Salcedo, L.T. Molina, D.R. Worsnop, and M.J. Molina. Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Anthropogenic Air Pollution: Rapid and Higher than Expected. Geophysical Research Letters, 33(17), L17811, 2006. PDF

D. Salcedo et al. Characterization of ambient aerosols in Mexico City during the MCMA-2003 campaign with Aerosol Mass Spectrometry: results from the CENICA Supersite. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 6, 925-946, 2006. PDF

Q. Zhang, D.R. Worsnop, M.R. Canagaratna, and J.L. Jimenez. Hydrocarbon-like and Oxygenated Organic Aerosols in Pittsburgh: Insights into Sources and Processes of Organic Aerosols. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 5, 3289-3311, 2005. PDF

J.A. Huffman, J.T. Jayne, F. Drewnick, A.C. Aiken, T. Onasch, D.R. Worsnop, and J.L. Jimenez. Design, Modeling, Optimization, and Experimental Tests of a Particle Beam Width Probe for the Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. Aerosol Science and Technology, 39(12): 1143-1163, 2005, doi: 10.1080/02786820500423782. PDF

Q. Zhang, M.R. Alfarra, D.R. Worsnop, J.D. Allan, H.Coe, M.R. Canagaratna, and J.L. Jimenez. Deconvolution and quantification of hydrocarbon-like and oxygenated organic aerosols based on aerosol mass spectrometry. Environmental Science and Technology, 39: 4938-4952, 2005, doi:10.1021/es048568l. PDF

Q. Zhang, M.R. Canagaratna, J.T. Jayne, D.R. Worsnop, and J.L. Jimenez. Time and Size-Resolved Chemical Composition of Submicron Particles in Pittsburgh – Implications for Aerosol Sources and Processes. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres 110, D07S09, doi:10.1029/2004JD004649, 2005. PDF

DeCarlo, P., Slowik, J.G., Worsnop, D.R., Davidovits, P., and Jimenez, J.L. Particle Morphology and Density Characterization by Combined Mobility and Aerodynamic Diameter Measurements. Part 1: Theory. Aerosol Science and Technology, 38: 1185-1205, 2004. DOI: 10.1080/027868290903907. PDF

M. Dunn, J.L. Jimenez, D. Baumgardner, T. Castro, P.H. McMurry, J.N. Smith. Measurements of Mexico City nanoparticle size distributions: Observations of new particle formation and growth. Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 31, L10102, doi:10.1029/2004GL019483, 2004. PDF

Q. Zhang, C.O. Stanier, M.C. Canagaratna, J.T. Jayne, D.R. Worsnop, S.N. Pandis, and J.L. Jimenez. Insights into the Chemistry of Nucleation Bursts and New Particle Growth Events in Pittsburgh Based on Aerosol Mass Spectrometry. Environmental Science and Technology, 38: 4797-4809, 2004. PDF

Jimenez, J.L., Cocker, D.R., Bahreini, R., Zhuang, H., Varutbangkul, V., Flagan, R.C., Seinfeld, J.H., Hoffmann, T., and O'Dowd, C. New Particle Formation from Photooxidation of Diiodomethane (CH₂I₂). Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, Vol. 108, No. D10, 4318, doi:10.1029/2002JD002452, 2003. PDF

Bahreini, R., J.L. Jimenez, J. Wang, J.T. Jayne, D.R. Worsnop, R.C. Flagan, and J.H. Seinfeld, Aircraft-based Aerosol Size and Composition Measurements during ACE-Asia using an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, Vol. 108, No. D23, 8645, doi:10.1029/2002JD003226, 2003. PDF

Jimenez, J.L., Jayne, J.T., Shi, Q., Kolb, C.E., Worsnop, D.R., Yourshaw, I., Seinfeld, J.H., Flagan, R.C., Zhang, X., Smith, K.A., Morris, J., and Davidovits, P. Ambient Aerosol Sampling with an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer. Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, 108(D7), 8425, doi:10.1029/2001JD001213, 2003. PDF

O'Dowd, Jimenez, J.L., Bahreini, R., Flagan, R.C., Seinfeld, J.H., Kulmala, M., Pirjola, L., and Hoffmann, T. Particle Formation in the Marine Atmosphere Controlled by Biogenic Iodine Emissions. Nature 417:632-636 (2002). PDF and News& Views