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Development and Application of Photoionization Technology for Organic Analysis of Particulate Matter

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Abstract

Photoionization (PI) is a soft ionization method that does not cause the production of molecular fragments from target materials. Applications of soft photoionization–mass spectrometric methods to molecular analysis are reviewed here. A non-selective photoionization technique (single-photon ionization, SPI) can be used to measure volatile compounds with molecular mass < 120 m/z, while a soft and selective technique (resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization, REMPI) is better suited for aromatic compounds whose molecular mass is > 100 m/z. The development of hyphenated thermal–optical analyzer photo-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometers (PI-TOFMS) combined with REMPI and SPI methods has enabled the analyses of evolved gaseous species, and these advanced methods have led to new insights into the elemental and organic carbon in particulate matter. Nonetheless, technical developments in the REMPI/SPI–TOFMS framework are far from complete, and there are opportunities for the development of new process analysis applications.

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Funding

This is funded by West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Aerosol Chemistry and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology (SKLLQG), Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China

    Mengna Yuan & Junji Cao

  2. CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, Xi’an, 710061, People’s Republic of China

    Mengna Yuan & Junji Cao

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, People’s Republic of China

    Mengna Yuan & Junji Cao

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  1. Mengna Yuan
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  2. Junji Cao
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Correspondence to Junji Cao.

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Yuan, M., Cao, J. Development and Application of Photoionization Technology for Organic Analysis of Particulate Matter. Aerosol Sci Eng 6, 127–134 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41810-022-00130-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41810-022-00130-z

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