Environmental Physics Research Group
Intrenational Collaboration
Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) the German national institute for metrology – Berlin, Germany
Since 2004, our research group has been collaborating fruitfully with the research group of Dr. Burkhard Beckhoff, from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) the German national institute for metrology , Berlin, Germany. PTB has a plane grating monochromator (PGM) beamline at the electron storage ring BESSY II that provides undulator radiation with a high photon flux of high spectral purity in the soft X-ray range. This beamline offers the only possibility to conduct X-ray absorption spectrometry in the total reflection geometry in the soft X-ray range. The high sensitivity reachable at the beamline makes it possible to study nanogram amounts of aerosol particles in the submicrometer size range.
In the framework of our collaboration, we dealt mostly with adaptation and development of X-ray absorption spectrometry in the total reflection geometry (TXRF-NEXAFS) for studying the chemical state of nitrogen in size-fractionated fine and ultrafine aerosol particles, including measurements of standards with known nitrogen speciation as well as real atmospheric aerosol particles. Using TXRF-NEXAFS, the molar ratio of ammonium and nitrate could be determined in submicrometer aerosol samples collected in Antarctica from air volumes much less than usually required for ion chromatrography measurement.
Publications resulting from the collaboration:
S. Török, J. Osán, B. Beckhoff, G. Ulm, Ultra-trace speciation of nitrogen compounds in aerosols collected on silicon wafer surfaces by means of TXRF-NEXAFS, Powder Diffraction 19 (2004) 81-86
S. Török, J. Osán, E. Curis, B. Beckhoff, High time resolution ni trogen speciation in size fractionated atmospheric aerosols, Journal of Aerosol Science 35(S1) (2004) S1173-S1174
J. Osán, S. Török, B. Beckhoff, G. Ulm, H. Hwang, C.-U. Ro, C. Abete, R. Fuoco, Nitrogen and sulfur compounds in coastal Antarctic fine aerosol particles - an insight using non-destructive X-ray microanalytical methods, Atmospheric Environment 40 (2006) 4691-4702
J. Osán, S. Török, B. Beckhoff, G. Ulm, C. Abete, R. Fuoco, TXRF-NEXAFS study of nitrogen compounds in coastal Antarctic fine aerosol particles, BESSY Annual Report 2006, pp. 39-40
Atomic Institute of the Austrian Universities, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
The research group of P. Wobrauschek and C. Streli (Atominstitut) has a long term cooperation with AEKI on laboratory and synchrotron-radiation TXRF analysis of size-fractionated aerosol samples. Common field campaigns were organized at the Inn-valley (Austria) and near Pécs (Hungary). The samples were analyzed using laboratory TXRF systems at both institutes as well as common beamtimes at the HASYLAB synchrotron radiation source (Hamburg, Germany).
Publications resulting from the collaboration:
J. Osán, S. Török, V. Groma, C. Streli, P. Wobrauschek, F. Meirer, G. Falkenberg, Trace element analysis of fine aerosol particles with high time resolution using SR-TXRF, HASYLAB Annual Report 2005, pp. 863-864
V. Groma, F. Meirer, J. Osán, S. Török, C. Streli, P. Wobrauschek, G. Falkenberg, Trace element analysis of urban and background aerosols using SR-TXRF, HASYLAB Annual Report 2006, pp. 1095-1096
V. Groma, J. Osán, S. Török, F. Meirer, C. Streli, P. Wobrauschek, G. Falkenberg, Trace element analysis of airport related aerosols using SR-TXRF, Idõjárás 112 (2008) 83-97