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Morphology and composition of environmental films near roadways during winter months
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Morphology and composition of environmental films near roadways during winter months

Uchechukwu Grace Johnwealth, Jessica L. DeYoung, Alexandria P. Julius, Zezhen Cheng, Swarup China and Scott K. Shaw
Environmental science: atmospheres
08/24/2026
DOI: 10.1039/D6EA00067C
url
https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EA00067CView
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

This study reports the physical and chemical features of passively collected environmental films collected near two roadways during the winter season. The samples were acquired at distances from approximately 6 to 30 meters from roadways in Iowa City. The collection timeframe spans December 2021 to January 2022. Our results show that films collected closer to roadways display agglomerated, heterogeneous surface features with increased surface coverages, while those farther from the roadway exhibit more homogeneous and smaller sized particulate. Electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses suggest that hygroscopic road salt in the film leads to aggregate formation, likely via deliquescence efflorescence cycling, particularly in films collected nearer to road surfaces. We also report distance dependent variations in the pH, levels of nitrate, sulfate, and total dissolved solids in the films collected. We correlate these data with total surface coverages and particle number densities to better understand the films' variability as it correlates to these short distances from the roadways.

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