Phase transition behaviour of sodium oleate aerosol particles

Field measurements have shown that organic surfactants are significant components of atmospheric aerosols. While fatty acids, among other surfactants, are prevalent in the atmosphere, the influence of these species on the chemical and physical properties of atmospheric aerosols remains not fully characterized. In order to assess the phase in which particles may exist, a detailed study of the deliquescence of a model surfactant aerosol has been carried out. Sodium oleate was chosen as a surfactant proxy relevant in atmospheric aerosol. Sodium oleate micelle aerosol particles were generated nebulizing a sodium oleate aqueous solution. In this study, the water uptake and phase transition of sodium oleate aerosol particles have been studied in a room temperature aerosol flow tube system (AFT) using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Aerosol morphology and elemental composition were also analysed using scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM/EDX) techniques. The particles are homogeneously distributed as ellipsoidal-shape aggregates of micelles particles with an average size of ∼1.1 μm. The deliquescence by the sodium oleate aerosol particles was monitored by infrared extinction spectroscopy, where the dried aerosol particles were exposed to increasing relative humidity as they passed through the AFT. Observations of the infrared absorption features of condensed phase liquid water enable to determine the sodium oleate deliquescence phase transition at 88±2%.