Indoor Surface Chemistry: Developing a Molecular Picture of Reactions on Indoor Interfaces

Andrew P Ault; Vicki H Grassian; Nicola Carslaw; Douglas B Collins; Hugo Destaillats; D James Donaldson; Delphine K Farmer; Jose L Jimenez; V Faye McNeill; Glenn C Morrison; Rachel E O'Brien; Manabu Shiraiwa; Marina E Vance; J R Wells; Wei Xiong

doi:10.1016/j.chempr.2020.08.023

Indoor Surface Chemistry: Developing a Molecular Picture of Reactions on Indoor Interfaces

Chem. 2020 Dec 3;6(12):3203-3218. doi: 10.1016/j.chempr.2020.08.023. Epub 2020 Sep 19.

Authors

Andrew P Ault¹, Vicki H Grassian^{2

3

4}, Nicola Carslaw⁵, Douglas B Collins^{6

7}, Hugo Destaillats⁸, D James Donaldson^{6

9}, Delphine K Farmer¹⁰, Jose L Jimenez¹¹, V Faye McNeill¹², Glenn C Morrison¹³, Rachel E O'Brien¹⁴, Manabu Shiraiwa¹⁵, Marina E Vance¹⁶, J R Wells¹⁷, Wei Xiong^{2

18}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
² Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
³ Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
⁴ Department of Nanoengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
⁵ Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, North Yorkshire YO10 5NG, UK.
⁶ Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA.
⁸ Indoor Environment Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
⁹ Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.
¹⁰ Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
¹¹ Department of Chemistry and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
¹² Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
¹³ Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Chemistry, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA.
¹⁷ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
¹⁸ Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.

Abstract

Chemical reactions on indoor surfaces play an important role in air quality in indoor environments, where humans spend 90% of their time. We focus on the challenges of understanding the complex chemistry that takes place on indoor surfaces and identify crucial steps necessary to gain a molecular-level understanding of environmental indoor surface chemistry: (1) elucidate key surface reaction mechanisms and kinetics important to indoor air chemistry, (2) define a range of relevant and representative surfaces to probe, and (3) define the drivers of surface reactivity, particularly with respect to the surface composition, light, and temperature. Within the drivers of surface composition are the roles of adsorbed/absorbed water associated with indoor surfaces and the prevalence, inhomogeneity, and properties of secondary organic films that can impact surface reactivity. By combining laboratory studies, field measurements, and modeling we can gain insights into the molecular processes necessary to further our understanding of the indoor environment.

Keywords: acid-base chemistry; adsorption; indoor air quality; indoor chemistry; indoor surfaces; partitioning; photochemistry; surface chemistry; volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

Publication types

Review