Laboratory investigation of heterogeneous interaction of sulfuric acid with soot.

The internal mixing state of soot with sulfuric acid is believed to significantly impact the optical, cloud-forming, and chemical properties of soot-containing aerosols, but little is known about the interaction between soot and sulfuric acid. We report the first measurements of the uptake of H2SO4 on three types of soot generated from methane, hexane, and kerosene combustion. H2SO4 loss on soot is found to be irreversible. The measured uptake coefficients are 0.018 +/- 0.007 for kerosene soot, 0.012 +/- 0.006 for methane soot, and 0.0076 +/- 0.0016 for hexane soot at a total pressure of 1-2 Torr and 298 K assuming a geometric surface area, likely corresponding to the upper limits. Additional experiments using the differential mobility analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques are carried out to further characterize the interaction of H2SO4 with soot. The results suggest that uptake of H2SO4 takes place efficiently on soot particles, representing an important route to convert hydrophobic soot to hydrophilic aerosols.