MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a High-Resolution Ion Mobility Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer to Advance Understanding of Atmospheric Multiphase Chemistry

This Major Research Instrumentation Project (MRI) supports the acquisition of a Waters High-Resolution Ion Mobility Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer which will be housed at the University of North Carolina Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering Mass Spectrometry Facility. This cutting-edge instrument will replace aging instrumentation and enhance a wide range of ongoing atmospheric chemistry and other research projects. This instrument will provide new opportunities to train and education for graduate and postdoctoral researchers from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University NC&AT University (the nation’s largest HBCU) and from UNC-Wilmington, a largely undergraduate institution. Outreach efforts include K-12 visits via the Research Experiences for Teachers programs, as well as visits from collaborators from Africa, the U.S., and other international universities. Research projects to be enhanced by this instrument acquisition include: (1) mechanisms of atmospheric gas-phase and multiphase chemistry and discovery of secondary organic aerosols formation pathways from biogenic and anthropogenic emissions; (2) atmospheric oxidative aerosol aging leading to volatilization and functionalization; (3) investigation of feedback loops connecting biogenic and anthropogenic emissions and the effects of the changing environment on atmospheric chemistry; (4) atmospheric gas, aqueous and multiphase oxidation chemistry of African biomass burning emissions leading to brown carbon and organic aerosol; and (5) the emerging area of atmospheric gas- and multiphase chemical processes involving per- and polyfluorinated substances. A wide range of educational and outreach opportunities will be enabled including K-12 outreach through visits by participants of Research Experiences for Teachers programs as well as collaborations with researchers from both domestic and international institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.