Aerosol Chemical Composition and Measurement Techniques
Summary
Aerosols are suspensions of solid or liquid particles in the atmosphere that influence air quality, climate and human health. Their chemical composition spans primary constituents emitted directly from combustion and mechanical processes, and secondary species formed in the atmosphere through gas–particle interactions. Inorganic ions such as sulphate, nitrate and ammonium often dominate fine particulate matter (PM2.5), while carbonaceous components include elemental carbon from fossil combustion and organic carbon from biogenic and anthropogenic precursors. Trace metals, sea-salt components and mineral dust contribute to coarse fractions (PM10–2.5). Characterising this complex mixture requires an array of measurement techniques. Traditional filter‐based methods collect integrated samples over hours or days for offline analysis by ion chromatography or thermal-optical analysis. Semi-continuous and online instruments such as aerosol mass spectrometers, ion monitors and beta-attenuation gauges provide high temporal resolution and speciation of both gaseous precursors and particulate phases. Emerging approaches, including microfluidic platforms and advanced data‐analysis techniques such as positive matrix factorisation, enhance source apportionment and enable rapid detection of evolving aerosol properties. Together, these methods furnish critical insights into aerosol life cycles, regional transport, chemical transformations and policy-relevant emission controls.
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Aerosol Chemical Composition and Measurement Techniques publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in aerosol chemical composition and measurement techniques across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
PM2.5: Particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm, important for health and climate forcing.
Secondary inorganic aerosol: Particles formed by atmospheric oxidation of precursor gases such as SO2, NOx and NH3, yielding sulphate, nitrate and ammonium.
Beta-attenuation: A real-time method measuring particle mass by attenuation of β-radiation through a filter tape.
Aerosol mass spectrometer: An online instrument that vaporises and ionises particles to quantify non-refractory chemical species at high time resolution.
Positive matrix factorisation: A receptor modelling technique that deconvolutes complex chemical datasets into source-related profiles and contributions.
References
- Origins of the seasonal variability of PM2.5 sources in a rural site in Northern France. Atmospheric Environment (2024).
- A Technical Overview on Beta-Attenuation Method for the Monitoring of Particulate Matter in Ambient Air. Aerosol and Air Quality Research (2022).
- Digital Microfluidics for the Detection of Selected Inorganic Ions in Aerosols. Sensors (2020).
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