Characterizing Atmospheric Oxidation and Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Polystyrene Nanoplastic Particles

Nanoplastic particles (NPPs) are emerging anthropogenic pollutants and have been detected in urban, rural, and remote areas. Characterizing the lifetime, fate, and cloud-forming potential of atmospheric NPPs improves our understanding of their environmental processes and climate impacts. This study provides the first quantified heterogeneous reaction rate and lifetime of polystyrene (PS) NPPs against common atmospheric oxidants. The atomized PS NPPs were introduced to a Potential Aerosol Mass (PAM) oxidation flow reactor with ·OH exposure of 0 to 1.5 × 10¹² molecules cm^-3 s, equivalent to atmospheric exposure from 0 to 18 days, assuming an ambient ·OH concentration of 1 × 10⁶ cm^-3. The decay of the PS mass concentration was quantified by monitoring tracer ions, C₆H₆⁺ (m/z 78) and C₈H₈⁺ (m/z 104), by using a high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS). The pseudo-first-order rate constant of PS particles reacting with ·OH, k_OH, was determined to be (3.2 ± 0.7) × 10^-13 cm³ molecule^-1 s^-1, equivalent to a half-lifetime of a few hours to ∼80 days in the atmosphere, depending on particle sizes and hydroxyl radical concentrations. The hygroscopicity of 100 nm PS NPPs at different ·OH exposure levels was quantified using a cloud condensation nuclei counter (CCNC), showing a twofold increase of hygroscopicity parameter upon 27 days of atmospheric photooxidation.