Date/Time
Date(s) - 18/11/2022
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm

*Note some differences from our usual seminar setup

Title: What Makes a Room Messy? Droplets, Particulate Matter, and Volatile Organic Compounds in the Indoor Air

Date: *Friday, November 18, 2022

Time: 1:30-2:30

Room: *ABB 163

Zoom: Please email chemgrad@mcmaster.ca for Zoom details

Host: Grace Yao

Abstract: Modern humans spend more than 90% of their time indoors, and indoor air quality is a determining factor of our health and wellbeing. While a room can be messy due to various reasons, the air in a room can be messy due to its large surface-to-volume ratio, limited air change rate, and unique emission sources present. Chemical analysis of outdoor air pollutants has always been the driving force for the discovery of new pollutants and processes that affect the human health. The application of analytical chemistry in indoor air quality research is relatively new, compared to the outdoor counterpart. Over the past decade, researchers in the atmospheric chemistry community have made tremendous progresses in understanding chemistry occurring in the indoor environment. In addition to cutting-edge research instruments, the recent rise of low-cost sensors has made innovative research approaches possible. In this presentation, I will be giving an overview of my group’s contribution to the research of indoor air quality. We have conducted a series of studies to understand the impact of evaporating droplets in the indoor air, arising from humidifiers, artificial fog machines, and e-cigarettes. Droplet evaporation gives rise to both suspended particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).VOCs can then undergo chemical partitioning in the indoor space. The magnitude of chemical partitioning can be intricately influenced by reactions occurring in the condensed phases, including hydration and acetal formation. Finally, I will introduce a few studies utilizing low-cost air sensors to study indoor air quality, showing that the careful use of low-cost sensors can obtain information that could not be obtained with traditional, research-grade instruments.