Atmospheric Sulfuric Acid-Dimethylamine Nucleation Enhanced by Trifluoroacetic Acid

Sulfuric acid (SA)-dimethylamine (DMA)-H₂O cluster formation has been proven to be responsible for a significant part of new particle formation (NPF) in a Chinese megacity. However, the possible involvement of common atmospheric acids in the subsequent growth of SA-DMA clusters remains elusive. We simulated formation and growth of clusters using atmospheric relevant concentrations of SA, DMA, and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a commonly observed atmospheric perfluorocarboxylic acid, using Density Functional Theory combined with Atmospheric Cluster Dynamics Code. The presence of TFA leads to complex cluster formation routes and an enhancement of NPF rates by up to 2.3 ([TFA] = 5.0 × 10⁶ molecules cm⁻³, [SA] = 1.0 × 10⁶ molecules cm⁻³, and [DMA] = 1.5 × 10⁹ molecules cm⁻³). The agreement of (SA)₁·(DMA)_1-2·(TFA)₁ concentrations between simulations and ambient measurements during NPF events validates model predictions and implies that perfluorocarboxylic acids could potentially boost atmospheric SA-DMA NPF rates.