Application of optical tweezers technology in physical chemistry characterization of aerosol

Investigation of thermodynamics and kinetics process of organic aerosol is a cross-cutting field of multidisciplinary research, in which core issues are non-ideal mixing, including volatility, liquid-liquid phase separation and non-equilibrium mass transfer kinetics. At present, the study of the accurate measurement of the relevant physical and chemical parameters of these processes enters the bottleneck period. The optical tweezers system allows the aerosol single particles to be in a suspended state, resulting in a high signal-to-noise ratio of the stimulated Raman spectra. The system has unique advantages in the study of the physical and chemical properties of aerosols and its atmospheric effects. The system has been widely used in the research of the hygroscopicity, volatility, water mass transfer kinetics, and liquid-liquid phase separation processes of organic and inorganic mixture system aerosol. In this review, the progress of laser aerosol single particle technology is reviewed, including the principle and technical means of optical tweezers technology and the measurement of key physical and chemical parameters of aerosols. The results show that on one hand, accurate results of important physical and chemical parameters can be obtained by optical tweezers; on the other hand, the state of suspended droplets can be simulated and measured in the actual environment, which provides important support for atmospheric science research and pollution control.