Bioaerosol Characterization with Vibrational Spectroscopy: Overcoming Fluorescence with Photothermal Infrared (PTIR) Spectroscopy.
Jia H Shi, Carlie J Poworoznek, Rebecca L Parham, Katherine R Kolozsvari, Nicole E Olson, Yao Xiao, Ziying Lei, Johnna A Birbeck, Stephen J Jacquemin, Judy A Westrick, Andrew P Ault
Author Information
Jia H Shi: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Carlie J Poworoznek: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Rebecca L Parham: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Katherine R Kolozsvari: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Nicole E Olson: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Yao Xiao: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Ziying Lei: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Johnna A Birbeck: Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States.
Stephen J Jacquemin: Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University���Lake Campus, Celina, Ohio 45822, United States.
Judy A Westrick: Department of Chemistry, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, United States. ORCID
Andrew P Ault: Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States. ORCID
Aerosols containing biological material (i.e., bioaerosols) impact public health by transporting toxins, allergens, and diseases and impact the climate by nucleating ice crystals and cloud droplets. Single particle characterization of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAPs) is essential, as individual particle physicochemical properties determine their impacts. Vibrational spectroscopies, such as infrared (IR) or Raman spectroscopy, provide detailed information about the biological components within atmospheric aerosols but these techniques have traditionally been limited due to the diffraction limit of IR radiation (particles >10 ��m) and fluorescence of bioaerosol components overwhelming the Raman signal. Herein, we use photothermal infrared spectroscopy (PTIR) to overcome these limitations and characterize individual PBAPs down to 0.18 ��m. Both optical-PTIR (O-PTIR) and atomic force microscopy-PTIR (AFM-PTIR) were used to characterize bioaerosol particles generated from a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cHAB) dominated by . PTIR spectra contained modes consistent with traditional Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra for biological species, including amide I (1630-1700 cm) and amide II (1530-1560 cm). The fractions of particles containing biological materials were greater in supermicron particles (1.8-3.2 ��m) than in submicron particles (0.18-0.32 and 0.56-1.0 ��m) for aerosolized cHABwater. These results demonstrate the potential of both O-PTIR and AFM-PTIR for studying a range of bioaerosols with vibrational spectroscopy.
References
Anal Chem. 2018 Jun 5;90(11):7072-7079
[PMID: 29762006]
