Optical properties of secondary organic aerosols generated by photooxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons

The refractive index (RI) is the fundamental characteristic that affects the optical properties of aerosols, which could be some of the most important factors influencing direct radiative forcing. The secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) generated by the photooxidation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-xylene (BTEX) under low-NO(x) and high-NO(x) conditions are explored in this study. The particles generated in our experiments are considered to be spherical, based on atomic force microscopy (AFM) images, and nonabsorbent at a wavelength of 532 nm, as determined by ultraviolet-visible light (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The retrieved RIs at 532 nm for the SOAs range from 1.38–1.59, depending on several factors, such as different precursors and NO(x) levels. The RIs of the SOAs are altered differently as the NO(x) concentration increases as follows: the RIs of the SOAs derived from benzene and toluene increase, whereas those of the SOAs derived from ethylbenzene and m-xylene decrease. Finally, by comparing the experimental data with the model values, we demonstrate that the models likely overestimate the RI values of the SOA particles to a certain extent, which in turn overestimates the global direct radiative forcing of the organic particles.