Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Nat Commun. 2015 Jan 14;6:6083. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7083.
Aerosols are investigated because of their significant impact on the environment and human health. To date, windblown dust and sea salt from sea spray through bursting bubbles have been considered the chief mechanisms of environmental aerosol dispersion. Here we investigate aerosol generation from droplets hitting wettable porous surfaces including various classifications of soil. We demonstrate that droplets can release aerosols when they influence porous surfaces, and these aerosols can deliver elements of the porous medium to the environment. Experiments on various porous media including soil and engineering materials reveal that knowledge of the surface properties and impact conditions can be used to predict when frenzied aerosol generation will occur. This study highlights new phenomena associated with droplets on porous media that could have implications for the investigation of aerosol generation in the environment.
气溶胶因其对环境和人类健康的重大影响而受到研究关注。迄今为止，风吹尘和海水中因气泡爆裂而产生的海盐一直被认为是环境气溶胶扩散的主要机制。在这里，我们研究了包括各种土壤分类在内的可润湿多孔表面上液滴产生气溶胶的现象。我们证明了当液滴撞击多孔表面时会释放气溶胶，而这些气溶胶可以将多孔介质的元素传递到环境中。通过对土壤和工程材料等各种多孔介质的实验表明，表面特性和撞击条件的知识可用于预测何时会发生疯狂的气溶胶生成。本研究强调了与多孔介质上液滴相关的新现象，这可能对环境中气溶胶生成的研究具有重要意义。
