Vacuum Ultraviolet Free-Electron Laser Photoionization Mass Spectrometry of Alpha-pinene Ozonolysis

α-pinene is the most abundant monoterpene that represents an important family of volatile organic compounds.Molecular identification of key transient compounds during theα-pinene ozonolysis has been proven to be a challenging experimental target because of a large number of intermediates and products involved.Here we exploit the recently developed hybrid instruments that integrate aerosol mass spectrometry with a vacuum ultraviolet free-electron laser to study theα-pinene ozonolysis.The experiments ofα-pinene ozonolysis are performed in an indoor smog chamber,with reactor having a volume of 2 m^(3) which is made of fluorinated ethylene propylene film.Distinct mass spectral peaks provide direct experimental signatures of previously unseen compounds produced from the reaction ofα-pinene with O_(3).With the aid of quantum chemical calculations,plausible mechanisms for the formation of these new compounds are proposed.These findings provide crucial information on fundamental understanding of the initial steps ofα-pinene oxidation and the subsequent processes of new particle formation.

Effects of NO_(2) and SO_(2) on the secondary organic aerosol formation fromβ-pinene photooxidation

Elucidating the effects of anthropogenic pollutants on the photooxidation of biogenic volatile organic compounds is crucial to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of secondary organic aerosol(SOA)formation.Here,the impacts of NO_(2)and SO_(2)on SOA formation from the photooxidation of a representative monoterpene,β-pinene,were investigated by a number of laboratory studies.The results indicated NO_(2)enhanced the SOA mass concentrations and particle number concentrations under both low and highβ-pinene conditions.This could be rationalized that the increased O_(3)concentrations upon the NO_(x)photolysis was helpful for the generation of more amounts of O_(3)-oxidized products,which accelerated the SOA nucleation and growth.Combing with NO_(2),the promotion of the SOA yield by SO_(2)was mainly reflected in the increase of mass concentration,which might be due to the elimination of the newly formed particles by the initially formed particles.The observed low oxidation degree of SOA might be attributed to the fast growth of SOA,resulting in the uptake of less oxygenated gas-phase species onto the particle phase.The present findings have important implications for SOA formation affected by anthropogenic–biogenic interactions in the ambient atmosphere.

Rationally designed/constructed MnO_x/WO_3 anode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

Photoelectrocatalytic water splitting is an effective way to utilize the solar energy to solve the energy shortage. The valence band edge of WO3 located at 3V vs. normal hydrogen electrode（NHE）, which can offer enough potential to kinetically oxidize water for oxygen evolution reaction. However, water oxidation reaction kinetics is sluggish when only WO3 is used as the photoanode. It is highly desirable to use cocatalyst to promote the kinetics. Mn Oxloaded on the WO3 photoanode through photodeposition methods improves the photoelectrochemical water oxidation performance. A maximum photocurrent density of composite photoanode is achieved with a deposition time of 3 min, which is higher than that of pristine WO3 photoanode around 40%. Mn O2 is not only a cocatalyst for water splitting but also for improving oxidation selectivity. We tried to use two means to load Mn Oxon WO3 photoanode material. It is observed that loading a moderate amount of Mn Oxon the WO3 by photodeposition can promote the performance of the WO3 photoanode.