The formation of negative ions produced in a negative point-to-plane corona discharge fed by a Ar/N2/CH4 gas mixture has been studied using mass spectrometry. The measurements were carried out in flowing regime at ambient temperature and a reduced pressure of 460 mbar. The CN− anion has been found to be the most dominant negative ion in the discharge and is believed to be the precursor of heavi...

Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs) were deployed at 19 sites in northwest England to test their efficacy as passive atmospheric samplers for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and -furans (PCDD/Fs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). SPMDs were found to be efficient samplers for vapor phase species in the atmosphere, with good reproducibility between samplers. Species which are part...

A chemical kinetic mechanism for the atmospheric chemistry of inorganic mercury has been developed. Computer simulations conducted with this mechanism suggest that the half-life of elemental mercury could be of the order of hours for reaction with Cl2 in a nocturnal marine layer and for reactions with oxidants such as H202 in the ambient atmosphere. However, large uncertainties exist in the gas...

The presence of biological particles and non-biological pollutants in the atmosphere is closely related to the incidence of adverse reactions affecting human health. The present study demonstrates different effects of ambient air pollution and meteorological factors on pollen concentration of selected taxa in the atmosphere. The investigation was carried out in Szczecin, Poland, between 2006 an...

Understanding new particle formation and their subsequent growth in the troposphere has a critical impact on our ability to predict atmospheric composition and global climate change. High pre-existing particle loadings have been thought to suppress the formation of new atmospheric aerosol particles due to high condensation and coagulation sinks. Here, based on field measurements at a mountain s...

It is generally accepted that there is little rebreathing of gas exhaled through the nose. A detailed physical model system has been used to quantify and identify the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. By the use of a cast of the upper respiratory tract and oscillating flows with a Reynolds number of 500 and nondimensional frequency of 1.6, corresponding to quiet tidal breathing throug...

The mass production of highly dense oxides with high-temperature and high-pressure phases allows us to discover functional properties that have never been developed. To date, the quenching of highly dense materials at the gramme-level at ambient atmosphere has never been achieved. Here, we provide evidence of the formation of orthorhombic Fe2TiO4 from trigonal FeTiO3 as a result of the high-tem...

With the aim to capture and subsequent selective trapping of CO2, a nanocomposite has been developed through selective modification of the outer surface of the halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) with an organosilane to make the nanocomposite a novel solid-phase adsorbent to adsorb CO2 from the atmosphere at standard ambient temperature and pressure. The preferential adsorption of three major abundant ...

The hetero epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC on nominally on-axis 4H-SiC is reported. A horizontal hot-wall CVD reactor working at low pressure is used to perform the growth experiments in a temperature range of 1200-1500 °C with the standard chemistry using silane and propane as precursors carried by a mix of hydrogen and argon. The optimal temperature for single-domain growth is found to be about 13...

Giant optical transmittance changes of over 300% in wide wavelength range from 500 nm to 2500 nm were observed in LaBaCo2O5.5+δ thin films annealed in air and ethanol ambient, respectively. The reduction process induces high density of ordered oxygen vacancies and the formation of LaBaCo2O5.5 (δ = 0) structure evidenced by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, the fir...