Charge-induced wetting of aerosols

Abstract

Ionization often changes natural material properties such as wettability; this phenomenon is important for aerosols or tiny droplets in natural and industrial processes. We estimate possible wettability changes by ionization in atmospheric aerosols and cloud droplets by analyzing reliable measurements of charge densities based on a general physical model. This estimation shows that atmospheric aerosols could have charge densities larger than 10(3) mu m(-2), indicating significant wettability changes. Our finding would be important to evaluate possible effects of cosmic rays on cloud formation in terms of ionization rates. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3430007]