• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.811-821
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• 2004

Low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA) was applied to characterize aerosol particles collected at Gosan in Jeju island during an IOP (intensive observation period) for an international ACE-Asia project in April, 2001. Various types of atmospheric particles such as organics, carbon-rich, aluminosilicates, silicon oxide, sodium nitrate, sodium chloride, and ammonium sulfate were observed. The reacted sea salt particles such as sodium nitrate were the most abundantly encountered, but original sea salt particles were rarely observed. Since the Low-Z particle EPMA can provide quantitative information on the chemical composition of aerosol particles, many different particle types on the basis of their chemical compositions were observed and identified. In this study, it is demonstrated that the Low-Z particle EPMA can provide detailed information on the chemical compositions for the aerosol particles collected for six consecutive days in April, 2001, at Gosan super-site.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.823-832
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• 2004

Atmospheric aerosol particles collected in Seoul on four single days, each in every seasons of 2001, were characterized and classified on the basis of their chemical species using low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA). Low-Z particle EPMA technique can analyze both the size and the chemical species of individual aerosol particles of micrometer size and provide detailed information on the size distribution of each chemical species. The major chemical species observed in Seoul aerosol were aluminosilicate, silicon dioxide, calcium carbonate, organic, carbon-rich, marine originated, and ammonium sulfate particles, etc. The soil originated species, such as aluminosilicate, silicon dioxide, and calcium carbonate were the most popular in the coarse fraction, meanwhile, carbonaceous and ammonium sulfate were the dominant species found in the fine fraction. Marine originated species such as sodium nitrate was frequently encountered, up to 30% of the analyzed aerosol particles.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.115-140
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• 2010

Great concerns about atmospheric aerosols are attributed to their multiple roles to atmospheric processes. For example, atmospheric aerosols influence global climate, directly by scattering or absorbing solar radiations and indirectly by serving as cloud condensation nuclei. They also have a significant impact on human health and visibility. Many of these effects depend on the size and composition of atmospheric aerosols, and thus detailed information on the physicochemical properties and the distribution of airborne particles is critical to accurately predict their impact on the Earth's climate as well as human health. A single particle analysis technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z particle EPMA) that can determine the concentration of low-Z elements such as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen in a microscopic volume has been developed. The capability of quantitative analysis of low-Z elements in individual particle allows the characterization of especially important atmospheric particles such as sulfates, nitrates, ammonium, and carbonaceous particles. Furthermore, the diversity and the complicated heterogeneity of atmospheric particles in chemical compositions can be investigated in detail. In this review, the development and methodology of low-Z particle EPMA for the analysis of atmospheric aerosols are introduced. Also, its typical applications for the characterization of various atmospheric particles, i.e., on the chemical compositions, morphologies, the size segregated distributions, and the origins of Asian dust, urban aerosols, indoor aerosols in underground subway station, and Arctic aerosols, are illustrated.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.503-513
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• 2003

A single particle analytical technique, called low-Z electron probe X-ray microanalysis (low-Z EPMA) was applied to characterize atmospheric particles collected in Busan, Korea, over a daytime period in Dec. 2001. The ability to quantitatively analyze the low-Z elements, such as C, N, and 0, in microscopic volume enables the low-Z EPMA to specify the chemical composition of individual atmospheric particle. Various types of atmospheric particles such as organics, carbon-rich, aluminosilicates, silicon oxide, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and titanium oxide were identified. In the sample collected in Busan, sodium nitrate particles produced as a result of the reaction between sea salt and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere were most abundantly encountered both in the coarse and fine fractions. On the contrary, original sea salt particles were rarely observed. The fact that most of the carbonaceous particles were distributed in the fine fraction implies that their origin is anthropogenic.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.639-647
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• 2005

A single particle analytical technique, named low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA), was applied to characterize samples collected at a subway station and ambient samples in Seoul. According to their chemical composition, many distinctive particle types were identified. For samples collected at the subway station platform, the major chemical species are carbon-rich, organic, aluminosilicates (AlSi), AlSi/C, AlSi/$CaCO_{3},\;CaCO_{3},\;SiO_{2},\;and\;Fe_{2}O_{3}$. For outdoor samples, carbon-rich, organic, AlSi, $CaCO_{3},\;SiO_{2},\;NaNO_{3},\;(Na,Mg)NO_{3},\;Na(CO_{3},NO_{3},SO_{4}),\;and\;(NH_{4})_2SO_4$, are abundantly encountered. Samples collected at the subway station show very high contents of $Fe_{2}O_{3}$, both in coarse and fine fractions, which come from brake block, subway train wheel, electric contact materials, etc. It is demonstrated that the single-particle characterization using this low-Z particle EPMA technique provided detailed information on various types of chemical species in indoor and outdoor samples.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.367-375
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• 2005

Low-Z particle Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis was applied to characterize MSW fly- and bottom -ash particle samples originated from two municipal incinerators (denoted as A and B) in Korea. According to their chemical composition, many distinctive particle types were identified. In A fly ash, the major chemical species are carbon-rich, aluminosilicates and many particles are composed of as a mixture of $ CaCO_3$ and other chemical species such as $CaSO_4$ or $CaCl_2$. For B fly ash, Fe, iron oxide, NaCl and NaCl-containing particles are the most abundant. In bottom ash, A and B were composed of similar chemical species such as carbon-rich, Fe, iron oxide, $CaCO_3$, and aluminosilicates. It was demonstrated that the single-particle characterization using this low-Z particle EPMA technique provided detailed information on various types of chemical species in the MSW ash samples. In addition, the technique has advantage over conventional analytical techniques in the point that both crystalline and glass-like ash particles can be analyzed at the same time.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.278-280
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.303-304
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.307-308
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• 2001

본 연구는 서울, 청주, 춘천 세 개 도시 대기에서의 입자상 물질에 대한 분석을 Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis(EPMA)를 이용한 단일 입자 분석법으로 행하였다. 단일 입자 분석법은 개개 입자의 형상과 크기 그리고 화학 조성에 대한 정보를 동시에 제공하기 때문에 개개 입자의 생성, 이동, 반응 그리고 환경에의 영향에 대한 자세한 정보를 얻을 수 있다. 또한 최근에 개발된 ultrathin window를 장착한 EPMA 분석법(Low-Z EPMA)은 종래의 통상적인 EPMA 방법으로는 분석하기 어려웠던 탄소, 질소, 산소 등의 원소를 정량적으로 분석할 수 있다. 따라서 도시 대기의 중요 구성 입자상 물질인 황산염, 질산염, 암모늄염, 유기 입자 등도 포함하여 도시 대기 입자 분석에 유용하게 활용된다. (중략)

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.275-277
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• 2005