An overview of natural and anthropogenic sources of ultrafine airborne particles: analytical determination to assess the multielemental profiles

Studies on the origin, transformation and fate of ultrafine atmospheric aerosols have gained attention because of the increasing number of small particles discharged into the atmosphere from different sources and their effects on health and the environment. Their size and chemical composition particles largely determine their behavior, biodegradation, persistence and impacts on the biosphere. This survey is aimed at describing the (i) main attributes of the tiniest particles related to their size and multielemental composition, (ii) analytical techniques more used to determine size-resolved multielemental composition, and (iii) key role played by analytical techniques to identify the contribution of different sources. In spite of the recognized advancements achieved in the field of analytical chemistry for aerosol characterization, more and new challenges appear. Various and complementary techniques are necessary to reach a comprehensive overview of the studied scenarios particularly focused on improving the sensitivity and selectivity of the techniques. The survey includes 103 references and covers principally the literature published over the last 15 years.