Phase State and Saturation Vapor Pressure of Submicron Particles of meso-Erythritol at Ambient Conditions

meso-Erythritol is a sugar alcohol identified in atmospheric aerosol particles. In this work, evaporation of submicron-sized particles of meso-erythritol was studied in a TDMA system including a laminar flow tube under dry conditions at five temperatures (278–308 K) and ambient pressure. A complex behavior was observed and attributed to the formation of particles of three different phase states: (1) crystalline, (2) subcooled liquid or amorphous, and (3) mixed. With respect to saturation vapor pressure, the subcooled liquid and amorphous states are treated to be the same. The particle phase state was linked to initial particle size and flow tube temperature. Saturation vapor pressures of two phase states attributed to the crystalline and subcooled liquid state respectively are reported. Our results suggest a mass accommodation coefficient close to one for both states.