Cantilever-Enhanced Photoacoustic Detector for Black and Brown Carbon

Black carbon (BC) is a light absorbing aerosol, with an important role in climate system as its strong light absorption contributes to warming of the surrounding climate. However, its role is complicated by the fact that the optical properties of BC aerosols are heavily affected by factors such as coating accumulated on the particles and the aging of the aerosols. Carbon aerosols with significant organic content, referred to as brown carbon (BrC), also shows stronger wavelength dependence of light absorption, which has significant effect on the warming potential of the aerosol. BC particles are also associated with negative respiratory health effects, and there is growing interest in development of sensitive BC detectors.