title: Morphology, microstructure and chemical composition of single inhalable particles in Shanghai, China.
abstract: The morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of a variety of particles emitted from coal-fired power plants, steel plants, and vehicle exhausts, which are possible sources of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared with particle samples collected from urban atmosphere to identify the best footprint or the suitable indicator relating the existence of studied particles and their possible emitters by the morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of the particles. The investigation indicated that the particles from these three sources are different in morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition. Sphere aggregates were generally the most abundant components, with silicon and aluminum as major elements. The urban air particulate contained particles similar to those observed in the power plant, steel plant, and vehicle exhaust samples suggesting that all three sources are contributing to the pollution in the city.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
authors.forename: Waheed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Akram
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Madhuku
authors.forename: Ishaq
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiaolin
authors.forename: Guilin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry; D002681:China; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D011210:Power Plants; D013232:Steel; D001335:Vehicle Emissions / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions; D013232:Steel