Browsing by Author "Saunders, M"

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    Characterization of insoluble nanoparticles in Antarctic ice cores
    (American Geophysical Union, 2013-12-09) Ellis, A; Edwards, R; van Riessen, A; Saunders, M; Smith, AM; Curran, MAJ; Goodwin, ID; Feiteng, W
    Insoluble nanoparticles in the form of aerosols have significant effects on climate and biogeochemical cycles. Records of these aerosols are essential for understanding paleoclimate forcing and future climate change. These particles and their precursors are emitted to the atmosphere from a variety of primary and secondary sources including biomass burning as well as biogenic, anthropogenic, volcanic, extraterrestrial, and terrestrial mineral emissions. While a large body of research exists with respect to mineral dust particles (on the micrometer scale) derived from ice and sediment cores, very little is known with regards to the history of insoluble particles on the nano scale. Ice core records are the only reliable way to study the past history of these particles. Here, we will present new data regarding the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles found in ice cores from East Antarctica.
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    Characterizing black carbon in rain and ice cores using coupled tangential flow filtration and transmission electron microscopy
    (European Geosciences Union, 2015-01-01) Ellis, A; Edwards, R; Saunders, M; Chakrabarty, RK; Subramanian, R; van Riessen, A; Smith, AM; Lambrinidis, D; Nunes, LJ; Vallelonga, P; Goodwin, ID; Moy, AD; Curran, MAJ; van Ommen, TD
    Antarctic ice cores have been used to study the history of black carbon (BC), but little is known with regards to the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles in the remote atmosphere. Characterization remains limited by ultra-trace concentrations in ice core samples and the lack of adequate methods to isolate the particles unaltered from the melt water. To investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of these particles, we have developed a tangential flow filtration (TFF) method combined with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Tests using ultrapure water and polystyrene latex particle standards resulted in excellent blanks and significant particle recovery. This approach has been applied to melt water from Antarctic ice cores as well as tropical rain from Darwin, Australia with successful results: TEM analysis revealed a variety of BC particle morphologies, insoluble coatings, and the attachment of BC to mineral dust particles. The TFF-based concentration of these particles has proven to give excellent results for TEM studies of BC particles in Antarctic ice cores and can be used for future studies of insoluble aerosols in rainwater and ice core samples. © Author(s)
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    High-performance perovskite composite electrocatalysts enabled by controllable interface engineering
    (John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2021-06-17) Xu, XM; Pan, YL; Ge, L; Chen, YB; Mao, X; Guan, DQ; Li, MR; Zhong, YJ; Hu, ZW; Peterson, VK; Saunders, M; Chen, CT; Zhang, HJ; Ran, R; Du, AJ; Jiang, SP; Zhou, W; Shao, ZP
    Single-phase perovskite oxides that contain nonprecious metals have long been pursued as candidates for catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction, but their catalytic activity cannot meet the requirements for practical electrochemical energy conversion technologies. Here a cation deficiency-promoted phase separation strategy to design perovskite-based composites with significantly enhanced water oxidation kinetics compared to single-phase counterparts is reported. These composites, self-assembled from perovskite precursors, comprise strongly interacting perovskite and related phases, whose structure, composition, and concentration can be accurately controlled by tailoring the stoichiometry of the precursors. The composite catalyst with optimized phase composition and concentration outperforms known perovskite oxide systems and state-of-the-art catalysts by 1–3 orders of magnitude. It is further demonstrated that the strong interfacial interaction of the composite catalysts plays a key role in promoting oxygen ionic transport to boost the lattice-oxygen participated water oxidation. These results suggest a simple and viable approach to developing high-performance, perovskite-based composite catalysts for electrochemical energy conversion. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH
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    Individual particle morphology, coatings, and impurities of black carbon aerosols in Antarctic ice and tropical rainfall
    (John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2016-11-04) Ellis, A; Edwards, R; Saunders, M; Chakrabarty, RK; Subramanian, R; Timms, NE; van Riessen, A; Smith, AM; Lambrindis, D; Nunes, LJ; Vallelonga, P; Goodwin, ID; Moy, AD; Curran, MAJ; van Ommen, TD
    Black carbon (BC) aerosols are a large source of climate warming, impact atmospheric chemistry, and are implicated in large-scale changes in atmospheric circulation. Inventories of BC emissions suggest significant changes in the global BC aerosol distribution due to human activity. However, little is known regarding BC's atmospheric distribution or aged particle characteristics before the twentieth century. Here we investigate the prevalence and structural properties of BC particles in Antarctic ice cores from 1759, 1838, and 1930 Common Era (C.E.) using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The study revealed an unexpected diversity in particle morphology, insoluble coatings, and association with metals. In addition to conventionally occurring BC aggregates, we observed single BC monomers, complex aggregates with internally, and externally mixed metal and mineral impurities, tar balls, and organonitrogen coatings. The results of the study show BC particles in the remote Antarctic atmosphere exhibit complexity that is unaccounted for in atmospheric models of BC. ©2016. American Geophysical Union.