Articles | Volume 9, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-6117-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-6117-2016
Research article
 | 
22 Dec 2016
Research article |  | 22 Dec 2016

Effect of secondary organic aerosol coating thickness on the real-time detection and characterization of biomass-burning soot by two particle mass spectrometers

Adam T. Ahern, Ramachandran Subramanian, Georges Saliba, Eric M. Lipsky, Neil M. Donahue, and Ryan C. Sullivan

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Short summary
The SP-AMS exhibited a different sensitivity to black carbon vs. potassium as more SOA mass was condensed onto biomass burning particles. The SP-AMS's sensitivity to BC mass did not plateau following successive SOA coatings, despite achieving high OA : BC mass ratios > 9. A laser ablation single-particle mass spectrometer exhibited a positive correlation to the condensed SOA mass on individual soot particles, demonstrating its ability to obtain mass quantitative measurements from complex matrices.