Investigating Atmospheric Heterogeneous Reactions with X-ray Computed Tomography

Many fields including physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering, use X-ray-based analytics on a regular basis. However, the full potential of such procedures in the biological sciences and medicine has yet to be realised. In the natural snowfall, chemical and physical processes like as heterogeneous chemical reactions, light scattering, and metamorphism occur. The specific surface area (SSA) is an important metric to consider when modelling these processes in the snowpack. In the atmosphere, heterogeneous reactions on the surface of aerosol particles play an essential role in air pollution, climate change, and global biogeochemical cycles. However, published absorption coefficients of heterogeneous reactions can vary widely and may not be representative of real-world air circumstances. One of the main reasons for this is that laboratory research employs bulk samples, whereas particles in the atmosphere are suspended individually. A number of technologies have recently been developed to examine heterogeneous reactions on individual particle surfaces. Calculating the uptake coefficient, quantifying reactants and products, and better understanding the reaction mechanism all require precise measurements on the reactive surface area, volume, and shape of individual particles.

Author(s): Mihir R. Khan

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