The reaction rate between atmospheric
hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine nitrate (ClONO2) is greatly enhanced in the presence of ice particles; HCl dissolves readily into ice, and the collisional reaction probability for ClONO2 on the surface of ice with HCl in the mole fraction range
from ∼ 0.003 to 0.010 is in the range
from ∼ 0.05 to 0.1 for temperatures near 200 K. Chlorine (Cl2) is released into the gas phase on a time scale of at most a few milliseconds, whereas nitric acid (HNO3), the other product, remains in the condensed phase.
By controlling the temperature during activation, and treating the resulting fibres with various chemicals, the Illinois team can make filters that are basic, acidic, or neutral, and tailor the surface to target contaminants ranging
from dioxins to ammonia or
hydrogen chloride.