Characterization of individual particles in a PM_2.5 fraction of an urban air sample

Abstract

The analysis of individual particles in a PM_2.5 fraction of an urban air sample was carried out using scanning electron and electron microprobe analysis. Sampling was done using a portable cascade impactor with a silver substrate to obtain information about some lighter elements(C, N and O). It was found that particles in PM_2.5 could be classified into 6 groups based on their shape and composition. Some of the groups could be attributed to specific anthropogenic origins. We observed a difference in the deformation of particles during the microprobe analysis, which might provide unique additional information concerning the classification protocols in the future.