Microwave plasma torch desorption ionization mass spectrometry for chemical characterization of aromatic secondary organic aerosol

Xihe Yang; Fengjian Chu; Jiayu Quan; Zechen Yu; Haiyan Zhang; Gaosheng Zhao; Yanli Cui; Yuanjiang Pan; Hongru Feng

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127155

Microwave plasma torch desorption ionization mass spectrometry for chemical characterization of aromatic secondary organic aerosol

Talanta. 2025 Feb 1:283:127155. doi: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127155. Epub 2024 Nov 4.

Authors

Xihe Yang¹, Fengjian Chu², Jiayu Quan³, Zechen Yu³, Haiyan Zhang³, Gaosheng Zhao⁴, Yanli Cui¹, Yuanjiang Pan⁵, Hongru Feng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China.
² Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China; College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, Zhejiang, China.
³ School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, Zhejiang, China.
⁴ School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: panyuanjiang@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 39509902
DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2024.127155

Abstract

Benzene and toluene, primarily emitted from vehicle exhaust, are common volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These aromatic compounds in the atmosphere undergo further photooxidation to form secondary organic aerosol (SOA), which are a primary factor in haze weather. Aromatic SOA is more difficult to detect by traditional detection methods. Microwave plasma torch (MPT) is an ambient ionization source based on microwave plasma developed in recent years. Herein, a microwave plasma torch desorption ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (MPT-HRMS) technique was designed for the direct analysis of aromatic SOA in the environment. For environmental haze samples, no pretreatment is required, and over twenty types of aromatic hydrocarbon derivatives or oxidation products can be detected in situ using MPT-HRMS. The possible mechanisms underlying the formation of aromatic SOA were investigated. MPT-HRMS is a powerful technical tool for rapidly tracking non-targeted aromatic SOA and their transformations in the environment. This contributes to an in-depth understanding of the formation mechanisms of SOA and their impact on air pollution.

Keywords: Desorption ionization; In-situ detection; Mass spectrometry; Oxidation mechanism; Secondary organic aerosol.