The winner of the Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2019 Best Paper Award.

卒業生Alumni (TUAT, B/M/D) Masao Gen’s paper published (with Prof. Chak K. Chan, Energy & Environment, City Univ. of Hong Kong) in Environmental Science & Technology Letters (ACS米国化学会の雑誌) was selected as Best ES&T Letters Papers of 2019.  (Gen, Zhang, Huang, Chan) “Heterogeneous SO₂ Oxidation in Sulfate Formation by Photolysis of Particulate Nitrate” （微粒子状の硝酸塩の光分解による硫酸塩形成における不均一系SO2酸化）

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本研究では、中国における極端なヘイズ発生時の硫酸塩形成の新しい経路を調査した。Raman分光法を用いて、フローセル内で反応が発生している間に硫酸塩形成をリアルタイムでモニターした。その結果、この反応はpH4.5-6で他の酸化剤（オゾン,過酸化水素,遷移金属イオン）によって媒介される他の既知の硫酸塩形成経路と同等かそれ以上に重要であることが明らかになった。

Sulfate plays a critical role in atmospheric particulates, and it has been found to be an important component of particulate matter (PM) during severe haze events. Masao Gen et al. (2019) investigate a new pathway for the formation of sulfate during extreme haze events in China. Their work points to a new pathway for sulfate formation, via the oxidation of sulfur dioxide by the NO₂ and hydroxyl radicals produced upon ultraviolet irradiation of nitrate. Raman spectroscopy was used to monitor sulfate formation in real time while reactions occurred in a flow cell. Modeling estimates revealed that this reaction is equally or more important to other known sulfate formation pathways mediated by other oxidants (ozone, hydrogen peroxide, and transition metal ions) at pH 4.5–6.

Example of studies at our group (TUAT) using Raman Spectroscopy (Masao Gen et al.)