Articles | Volume 26, issue 11
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-8311-2026
© 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-26-8311-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
15 Jun 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 15 Jun 2026
| 15 Jun 2026
On describing particle nucleation within the Volatility Basis Set
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Lubna Dada
Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Dominik Stolzenburg
Institute of Materials Chemistry, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
Eva Sommer
Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneve 23 1211, Switzerland
Mario Simon
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Meredith Schervish
Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
Jenna DeVivo
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Alexandra Stinchfield
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Natalie Burton
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Nirvan Bhattacharyya
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Brandon Lopez
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Mingyi Wang
Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
Wiebke Scholz
Ion Molecule Reactions & Environmental Physics Group Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
João Almeida
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Sources and Control of Air Pollution Complex, Beijing, China
Martin Heinritzi
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Hamish Gordon
Center for Atmospheric Particle Studies, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Department of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Armin Hansel
Ion Molecule Reactions & Environmental Physics Group Institute of Ion Physics and Applied Physics Leopold-Franzens University, Innsbruck Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Joachim Curtius
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Katrianne Lehtipalo
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Finnish Meteorological Institute, 00560 Helsinki, Finland
Imad El Haddad
Center for Energy and Environmental Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
Jasper Kirkby
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneve 23 1211, Switzerland
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Richard Flagan
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Markku Kulmala
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Douglas Worsnop
Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Aerodyne Inc, Billerica, MA, USA
Data sets
On describing particle nucleation within the Volatility Basis Set: Data Resources Neil M. Donahue and the CLOUD Collaboration https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20272605
Editorial statement
The Volatility Basis Set (VBS) has become one of the main tools used in atmospheric science for interpreting and modeling the partitioning of gases associated with organic aerosols. In this article the authors extend the VBS to nucleation, showing that it is possible to predict particle formation rates over the full range of tropospheric temperatures, with good agreement with extensive chamber measurements. The tool provides a means to understand the chemical and physical factors affecting nucleation across a wide range of environments over the industrial period and into the future.
The Volatility Basis Set (VBS) has become one of the main tools used in atmospheric science for...
Short summary
A new theory has the potential to accurately describe changes to atmospheric particle formation from the pre-industrial to the present and onwards along socioeconomic pathways addressing air pollution and climate. The model places organic nucleation in the context of the Volatility Basis Set and reveals a competition between chemistry, which accelerates as temperature rises, and vapor pressure, which drops as temperature decreases. The model reproduces observations from the CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets) chamber.
A new theory has the potential to accurately describe changes to atmospheric particle formation...
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