Articles | Volume 26, issue 16
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11627-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-11627-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 18 Aug 2026
| 18 Aug 2026
Altitude-dependent role of nitric acid in iodic acid-iodous acid nucleation: from marine boundary layer catalyst to upper troposphere core component
Jiaze Zhang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Haotian Zu
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Jing Li
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Fengyang Bai
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Institute of Catalysis for Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, 110034, China
Jie Yang
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Xueshun Chen
State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment and Extreme Meteorology, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China
Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-throughput Manufacturing, Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education of China, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081, China
Data sets
Supporting data for the study of the HNO3-HIO3-HIO2 system Jiaze Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20712556
Short summary
Sulfuric acid (SA)-dominated nucleation cannot explain observed tropospheric particulate matter and cloud condensation nuclei. Via quantum chemical calculations and atmospheric cluster dynamics simulations, we find the role of nitric acid shifts from a marine boundary layer catalyst to an upper troposphere cluster core in HIO3–HIO2 nucleation, with particle formation rates surpassing established SA pathways, explaining unaccounted-for new particle formation (NPF) amid falling sulfur and rising marine iodine emissions.
Sulfuric acid (SA)-dominated nucleation cannot explain observed tropospheric particulate matter...
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