Impacts of micelle formation in atmospheric aerosols on particle optics and chemistry

COLL 18

Azadeh Tabazadeh Tabazadeh, azadeht@stanford.edu, Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, 397 Panama Mall, Mitchell Building, 325, Stanford, CA 94035
Atmospheric aerosol particles, particularly in the submicron range, are now known to contain significant amounts of organic carbon. Many field studies suggest that a major fraction of organic carbon, found in atmospheric aerosols, is often water-soluble and humic-like in character. Humic materials are known, from studies in soil science, to form colloids or micelles in aqueous solutions. Thus, it is very likely for humic-like organic carbon to also exist in a colloid state in atmospheric aerosols. In this talk I will show, using laboratory measurements and field observations, how micelle formation in atmospheric aerosols can affect their hydroscopic growth, surface tension and refractive index.