nanoTOF
Welcome to the homepage of the nanoTOF project
We are aerosol and gas phase scientists who want to understand the basic mechanisms of atmospheric new particle formation. We are developing new tools and instrumentation to better depict and understand the fundamental processes of gas to particle conversion.
Research
Aerosol particles affect human life in many ways: health issues and respiratory problems are linked to air pollution; smoke, fog and smog strongly decrease visibility. But most important, aerosols strongly contribute to Earth’s radiative balance and play a key role in climate change (IPCC, 2013): as a direct effect, aerosols scatter sunlight directly back into space and even more important as an indirect effect, aerosols can influence the microphysical properties of clouds and thereby the forcing of short- and long-wave radiative fluxes. As the magnitude of the aerosols’ impact on Earth’s climate is still highly uncertain, there is a critical need for more in depth investigations.
Atmospheric New Particle Formation (NPF) is a ubiquitous phenomenon in Earth’s atmosphere (Kulmala et al. 2007, Kulmala et al. 2013). This nucleation process starts with the aggregation of gas molecules to charged and uncharged molecular clusters forming critical clusters that are able to grow to larger agglomerates and further to aerosol particles, which can act as Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN). Recent studies indicate that NPF is an important source of atmospheric particles and significantly contributes up to 50% to global CCN levels (Spracklen et al. 2008, Merikanto et al. 2009). Uncertainties in the mechanistic understanding of CCN formation further results in major uncertainties in the radiative forcing by atmospheric aerosols (Kerminen et al. 2012).
This project highlights the question whether the contributing mechanisms are correctly depicted by the present understanding of NPF. Here, we will offer an alternative approach for the used instrumentation: a new and innovative prototype mass spectrometer that involves a mobility classification and controlled collision induced dissociation of clusters; the nanoTOF.
With the nanoTOF, the ultimate goal of the project is to solve the ambiguity whether the currently used instrumentation can fully depict the processes of atmospheric NPF on the molecular level. We further want to identify the basic - so far unknown - building blocks of the the clusters participating in atmospheric NPF and to characterize the clusters according to their chemical compositions.
Contact | the nanoTOF project
Interested in more information on the nanoTOF project?
Interested in joining the team?
You are welcome to send your CV and a motivation letter to the contact details below. We are always looking for excellent and highly motivated colleagues!
Currently, you can do a master thesis or a PhD thesis in our group.
Dr. Gerhard Steiner (PI)
Email: gerhard.steiner@uibk.ac.at
Tel: +43-512-507-52643
Technikerstraße 25
A-6020 INNSBRUCK
Dr. Gerhard Steiner (PI)
Email: gerhard.steiner@uibk.ac.at
Tel: +43-512-507-52643
academic CV
Dr. Armin Hansel (co-PI)
Email: armin.hansel@uibk.ac.at
Tel: +43-512-507-6245
academic CV
Markus Leiminger, MSc. (project co-worker)
Email: markus.leiminger@uibk.ac.at
Tel: +43-512-507-52645
academic CV
Werner Jud, PhD. (project co-worker 1.2.2015 – 29.2.2016)
present address: Helmholtz Zentrum München, Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)
Email: werner.jud@helmholtz-muenchen.de
Tel: +43-512-507-52645
papers in peer-reviewed journals
Franchin, A., Downard, A., Kangasluoma, J., Nieminen, T., Lehtipalo, K., Steiner, G., Manninen, H.E., Petäjä, T., Flagan, R.C., Kulmala, M., (2016) A new high-transmission inlet for the Caltech nano-RDMA for size distribution measurements of sub-3 nm ions at ambient concentrations. Atmos. Meas. Tech. 9, 2709–2720. doi:10.5194/amt-9-2709-2016
Wagner, R., Manninen, H.E., Franchin, A., Lehtipalo, K., Mirme, S., Steiner, G., Petäjä, T. and Kulmala, M. (2016) On the accuracy of ion measurments using a Neutral cluster and Air Ion Spectrometer. Boreal Env. Res. 21: 230-241
Heinritzi, M., Simon, M., Steiner, G., Wagner, A.C., Kürten, A., Hansel, A. and Curtius, J., (2016) Characterization of the mass dependent transmission efficiency of a CIMS. Atmos. Meas. Tech. 9, 1449-1460, 2016, doi:10.5194/amt-9-1449-2016
submitted and/or under review:
Steiner, G., Franchin, A., Kangasluoma, J., Kerminen, V-M., Kulmala, M., Petäjä, T. (2016) Production of neutral molecular clusters by neutralization and recombination of mobility standards. under review in Aerosol Science Technology
Stolzenburg D., Steiner G., Winkler, P.M. (2016) A DMA-train for precision measurements of sub 10-nm aerosol dynamics. submitted to Atmospheric Measurement Techniques
Steiner, G., Breitenlechner, M., Jud, W., Fischer, L., Leiminger, M., Hansel, A. (2016) Finding the building blocks of atmopheric nucleation clusters – the nanoTOF project. European Aerosol Conference 2016, Tours, France; 04.09.-09.09.2016
Leiminger, M., Fischer, L., Breitenlechner, M., Jud, W., Hansel, A., Steiner, G. (2016) CFD simulations to enhance the performance of an axial mobility classifier for ionic molecular clusters. European Aerosol Conference 2016, Tours, France; 04.09.-09.09.2016
G.Steiner, A. Franchin, J. Kangasluoma,, M. Rissanen, T. Petäjä and M. Kulmala (2015) Generation of neutral calibration clusters. Aerosol Technology 2015, Tampere, Finland, 14.06.-17.06.2015
G.Steiner, A. Franchin, J. Kangasluoma,, M. Rissanen, T. Petäjä and M. Kulmala (2015) Generation of neutral calibration clusters. European Aerosol Conference 2015, Milano, Italy; 06.09.-11.09.2015
news feed:
2016-11-23
The nanoTOF-IBK 2016 measurement campaign
This 1-month measurement campaign is primarily intended to test and characterize the performance of our new nanoTOF inlet. A second aspect of the campaign is to characterize the measurement site regarding ion production rate, total ion concentration, particle number size distribution and the overall total particle number concentration particle number concentration. Thanks to our collaboration partners and to the good connections to many other research groups, we are able to setup up all the necessary instrumentation.
The nanoTOF in measurement position
View through the inlet
From left: Markus Leiminger and Gerhard Steiner
Cluster Ion Counter (CIC) from the University of Helsinki
DMPS system from the University of Vienna
CPC from the University of Vienna and Alpha Guard Radon detector from the Institute of Ecology from the University of Innsbruck
2015-06-14
Gerhard Steiner is participating in the Aerosol Technology 2015 meeting. He is presenting a talk with the title "Generation of neutral calibration clusters"
2015-06-01
Martin Breitenlechner is having fun with the nanoTOF inlet
2015-05-01
new nanoTOF web page online
2015-02-01
start of the nanoTOF project
The nanoTOF project is receiving funding from the Austrian science fund (FWF), project number P27295 under the title: "Chemical characterization of atmospheric clusters".
Funding volume: 349.933,50 EURO
And also by the science fund of the federal state of Tyrol (Tiroler Wissenschaftsfonds) under the title “nanoTOF – ICE”
Funding volume: 10.050,00 EUR
Further funding is provided by the University of Innsbruck supporting grant for young scientists (Nachwuchsförderung der Universität Innsbruck) under the title "Cluster Calibration Unit"
Funding volume: 19.990,00 EURO