Detecting supramolecular organic nanoparticles during heat wave

New particle formation (NPF) represents a major source of tropospheric fine aerosols. A common viewpoint is that NPF hinges thermodynamically on the volatility of condensing species and is unfavorable at high temperatures. From an intensive field campaign, we observed frequent NPF events during a heat wave. Size-resolved chemical composition of nanoparticles down to 3 nanometers was first measured, unraveling a dominant presence of carboxylic acids. Our work uncovers a spontaneous mechanism to produce supramolecular nanoparticles through self-assembly of organic acids. This discovery explains not only the unexpected NPF at high temperatures but also its ubiquitous occurrence under diverse atmospheric conditions. As global warming leads to more frequent and intense heat waves, our findings open avenues for assessing the impacts of aerosols on cloud formation, public health, and climate.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2026-02-12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady5192
Primary Topic
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
Type
article
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article

Detecting supramolecular organic nanoparticles during heat wave

Bianca P. Aridjis-Olivos, Yuhan Wang, Weston W. Porter, Arnold Vedlitz et al.
Science
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
article

Detecting supramolecular organic nanoparticles during heat wave

Bianca P. Aridjis-Olivos, Yuhan Wang, Weston W. Porter, Arnold Vedlitz, Renyi Zhang, Wanhe Li, Erik R. Nielsen, Natalie M. Johnson, Yixin Li, Lijun Zhao, Jiayun Zhao, Sarah D. Brooks, Veronica Kowalewski, Yuan Wang, John H. Seinfeld, Maisha Kabir, Michael W. Young, Yue Zhang, Simon W. North
article en

Abstract

New particle formation (NPF) represents a major source of tropospheric fine aerosols. A common viewpoint is that NPF hinges thermodynamically on the volatility of condensing species and is unfavorable at high temperatures. From an intensive field campaign, we observed frequent NPF events during a heat wave. Size-resolved chemical composition of nanoparticles down to 3 nanometers was first measured, unraveling a dominant presence of carboxylic acids. Our work uncovers a spontaneous mechanism to produce supramolecular nanoparticles through self-assembly of organic acids. This discovery explains not only the unexpected NPF at high temperatures but also its ubiquitous occurrence under diverse atmospheric conditions. As global warming leads to more frequent and intense heat waves, our findings open avenues for assessing the impacts of aerosols on cloud formation, public health, and climate.

ScienceVol. 391(6786)
California Institute of Technology (US), Texas A&M University System (US), Texas College (US), Rockefeller University (US), Texas A&M University (US), Stanford University (US)
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 68%
Atmospheric chemistry and aerosols
DOISourceOpenAlex
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Detecting supramolecular organic nanoparticles during heat wave — Bianca P. Aridjis-Olivos, Yuhan Wang, et al. · Science (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS