Articles | Volume 18, issue 20
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5705-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-5705-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Oct 2025
Research article |  | 22 Oct 2025

Developing A Custom-Built Metal Aerosol Processing Chamber: Analysis of Aerosol Coagulation at Low Humidities

Nevil A. Franco, Kyle J. Gorkowski, and Katherine B. Benedict

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Cited articles

Particula: Paticula Documentation, https://uncscode.github.io/particula/, last access: 21 July 2025. 
Becker, K. H.: Overview on the Development of Chambers for the Study of Atmospheric Chemical Processes, in: Environmental Simulation Chambers: Application to Atmospheric Chemical Processes, Dordrecht, 1–26, https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4232-9_1, 2006. 
Benedict, Katherine. B., Lee, J. E., Kumar, N., Badal, P. S., Barbato, M., Dubey, M. K., and Aiken, A. C.: Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Emissions: Laboratory Measurement of Aerosol and Trace Gas from Combustion of Manufactured Building Materials, ACS EST Air, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestair.4c00217, 2024.  
Chang, K., Bench, J., Brege, M., Cantrell, W., Chandrakar, K., Ciochetto, D., Mazzoleni, C., Mazzoleni, L. R., Niedermeier, D., and Shaw, R. A.: A Laboratory Facility to Study Gas–Aerosol–Cloud Interactions in a Turbulent Environment: The Π Chamber, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 97, 2343–2358, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-15-00203.1, 2016. 
Ching, J., Riemer, N., and West, M.: Black carbon mixing state impacts on cloud microphysical properties: Effects of aerosol plume and environmental conditions, JGR Atmospheres, 121, 5990–6013, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JD024851, 2016. 
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Short summary
We introduce a new, medium-sized metal chamber to observe how tiny aerosol particles behave in very dry conditions. We used the chamber to track how particles clump together over time. We found that although the particles behave differently at first, they eventually settle into similar patterns, with smoke clumping a bit more due to its unique shape. Overall, our work demonstrates that the chamber produces reliable results and can be adapted for future studies under more humid conditions.
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