Methodology to measure atmospheric nanoparticles charge

Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe; Ciro Luis Salcines Suárez; Ana Santurtún; Ismael Setién; Pavlos Kassomenos; Tuukka Petäjä

doi:10.1016/j.mex.2023.102148

Methodology to measure atmospheric nanoparticles charge

MethodsX. 2023 Mar 24:10:102148. doi: 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102148. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Pablo Fdez-Arroyabe¹, Ciro Luis Salcines Suárez², Ana Santurtún³, Ismael Setién⁴, Pavlos Kassomenos⁵, Tuukka Petäjä⁶

Affiliations

¹ Geobiomet Research Group, Department of Geography and Urban and Regional Planning, University of Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros S/N, Santander 39005, Spain.
² Safety and Health Unit, University of Cantabria, Santander 39005, Spain.
³ Geobiomet Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Santander 39011, Spain.
⁴ SOLMA Environmental Solutions, SLU.
⁵ Department of Physics, Lab of Meteorology, University of Ioannina, Greece.
⁶ Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), Physics, Faculty of Science, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

Atmospheric pollution has become a key aspect for sustainable development world-wide. Lack of measurements of atmospheric nanoparticles properties at different geographic locations limits the understanding of the role atmospheric particulate matter plays in multiple biophysical and environmental processes and its corresponding risks for human beings. This study presents a method to measure atmospheric primary nanoparticle, secondary nanoparticle and microparticle data. Moreover, a process for samples characterization is proposed combining different spectroscopy techniques.•The method allows researcher to collect, measure, store and characterize atmospheric nanoparticles properties including their electric charge.•A specific sample characterization is proposed, based on different techniques such as TEM and RAMAN spectroscopy.•The outcomes of the approach give science the chance to study new themes such as the importance of particulate matter charge in transmission of infectious respiratory diseases; the role of electric charge in pollutants deposition in the respiratory tract; the link between electric atmospheric charge of nanoparticles and meteorological variables.

Keywords: Aerosols; Atmospheric nanoparticles; Climatology; ELPI+; Electric charge; NANOCHARGE; Particulate matter; health.