Development of a Chemical Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for Characterizing the Role of Organic Amines in New Particle Formation

Aerosol particles are known to affect the global climate through direct absorption and reflection of solar radiation and through cloud formation. Globally, it is believed that ~50% of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) originate from atmospheric new particle formation and growth. Sulfuric acid vapor plays a key role in new particle formation, although detailed mechanisms remain unclear. Recent experiments have shown that trace levels of organic amine vapors can enhance particle nucleation by 1000 times or more compared to sulfuric acid alone or sulfuric acid plus ammonia. Amine vapor concentrations are typically very low and at the detection limit of current measurement techniques. The evaluation of atmospheric nucleation rates and particle growth is limited by sparse amine vapor measurements and the resulting lack of knowledge of atmospheric amine budgets. The proposed use of amines for CO2 sequestration may increase ambient amine concentrations and has significant implications for aerosol CCN budgets and their cloud interactions. This SBIR project will develop an instrument for the detection of ambient amines with a factor of 10 to 1000 times better sensitivity than current instruments, in order to improve characterization of global amine budgets and our understanding of their role in aerosol formation. We will develop and commercialize a new chemical ionization mass spectrometer that employs sulfuric acid cluster ionization chemistry for the selective and quantitative detection of gas-phase organic amines. The Phase I project successfully demonstrated the feasibility of detecting organic amines and ammonia in the 1 to 10 parts per trillion by volume concentration range in both laboratory experiments and in ambient air using the proposed technology. The Phase II project will focus on further refinement of the sulfuric acid cluster ion source and inlet, calibration schemes, and construction of a prototype instrument with evaluation in both laboratory and field settings. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The initial market for this instrument will be atmospheric research groups at universities and national laboratories with research programs focusing on new particle formation and growth. Larger applications include carbon capture and sequestration pilot projects using amine solvents, amine gas treatment at refineries and natural gas processing plants, forensic science, and breath analysis. We expect that the system developed in this program will yield a significant level of direct commercial sales and contract field measurements.