A Raman microspectroscopic system to transform analytical capability for detecting and characterizing aerosol particles
Abstract
Atmospheric aerosol particles are key players in the Earth system, influencing the global energy balance and cloud formation. They can also influence human health by spreading disease and causing allergies, whether emitted naturally or as agents of warfare. Yet uncertainties in many aerosol processes are limited by poor understanding of their concentration, sources, and properties. Particles of biological origin, in particular, are vectors for human illnesses and have been hypothesized to be important players in cloud processes that could ultimately affect levels of precipitation, playing into politics of water rights around the globe. However, techniques to characterize biological aerosol particles with sufficient temporal resolution and at high chemical specificity have not been commercially available until recently. The Huffman Lab specializes in the application of advanced optical techniques to the detection of bioaerosols in outdoor and indoor field settings. Our fluorescence-based instruments are limited by fundamentally low selectivity caused by naturally broad features of fluorescent spectra. The Resource Effective Bio-Identification System (REBS) is a Raman microspectrometer for the chemical characterization of aerosol particles, including airborne microorganisms at the species level. The narrow features of Raman spectra allow detailed characterization of aerosol particles of both biological and non-biological origin, while enabling the collection of information at temporal resolution significantly beyond competing Raman microspectrosctrometers. The instrument represents an important step forward in the real-time detection of biological aerosols, but has not yet found broad application by civilian, academic research groups. We propose here the purchase of a REBS instrument that would provide a transformative leap in our ability to characterize and understand aerosol particles critical to environmental processes and human health. The instrument would also fill an important hole in our capability to educate the next generation of aerosol chemists by providing students the divisionÕs only Raman spectrometer.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 04, 2018
- Source ID
- W911NF1610365
Entities
People
- John Huffman
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Denver