Characteristics of RF Cold Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

The characteristics of a stable discharge at atmospheric pressure is investigated. The plasma source consisted of two closely spaced parallel-plated perforated electrodes, driven by a radio frequency power to generate a uniform cold plasma in Helium at atmospheric pressure. Both alpha and gamma modes were clearly observed. The hollow cathode effects were found in the discharge. The influence of the dielectric barrier on the discharge was also investigated by utilizing a surface-anodized aluminium electrode as the anode.     

Surface Modification of Polyimide Film by Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

In this paper,polyimide(PI)films are modified using an atmospheric pressure plasma generated by a dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)in argon.Surface performance of PI film and its dependence on exposure time from 0 s to 300 s are investigated by dynamic water contact angle(WCA),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total multiple reflection mode(FTIR-ATR).The study demonstrates that dynamic WCA exhibits a minimum with 40 s plasma treatment,and evenly distributed nano-dots and shadow concaves appeared for 40 s and 12 s Ar plasma treatment individually.A short period of plasma modification can contribute to the scission of the imide ring and the introduction of C-O and C=O(-COOH)by detailed analysis of FTIR-ATR.     

Electrical features of radio-frequency atmospheric pressure helium discharge with and without dielectric electrodes

A comparative study of radio-frequency atmospheric pressure glow discharge(rf APGD)generated in helium with and without dielectric electrodes to investigate the effect of electrodes insulation on electrical features of APGD is presented. In the α mode, both the rf APGDs remain volumetric, stable and uniform. In the γ mode, the APGD without dielectric electrodes shrinks into a constricted plasma column whereas APGD with dielectric electrodes remains stable and retains the same volume without plasma constriction even at higher densities of discharge current. A comparison of electrical features of both rf APGDs in normal and abnormal glow discharge regimes is presented. In both APGDs with and without dielectric electrodes,impedance measurements have been performed and compared with equivalent circuit models.The measured impedance data is found to be in good agreement with simulated data.     

六甲基二硅氮烷和八甲基环四硅氧烷的等离子体聚合

在外部电极电容耦合的辉光放电中进行了六甲基二硅氮烷和八甲基环四硅氧烷的等离子体聚合,考察了压力、功率以及等离子气体对聚合速率的影响。用红外光谱、X—射线衍射和溶解度等方法研究了聚合物的结构,并研究了聚合物的热稳定性、耐溶剂性和疏水性,测定了聚合膜的密度和折射率。     

Measurement of the first Townsend's ionization coefficient for atmospheric pressure neon by a dielectric barrier discharge

Fast photography and optical emission spectroscopy are implemented in a 5 mm neon gap dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure with quartz glass used as the dielectric layer. Results show that it starts with a Townsend discharge and ends at a sub-normal glow discharge in neon DBD. Based on the Townsend discharge, the first ionization coefficient of neon is measured. The measurements are consistent with those at low pressure. Optical emission spectroscopy indicates that the spectra are mainly composed of atomic lines of neon, molecular bands and molecular ion bands originating from inevitable gas impurities (mainly nitrogen). Moreover, spectral lines emitted from atomic neon corresponding to the transitions (2p⁵ 3p → 2p⁵ 3s) are predominant. Although the second positive system of N₂(C³Π_u → B³Π_g) is observed, their intensities are too weak compared with neon's spectrum. The molecular nitrogen ion line of 391.4 nm is observed. It reveals that Penning ionization between high energy neon excited states and the inevitable gas impurities plays an important role in the value of the α coefficient.     

In-situ reduction of silver by surface DBD plasma: a novel method for preparing highly effective electromagnetic interference shielding Ag/PET

Electromagnetic interference(EMI) shielding composites with good flexibility and weatherability properties have attracted increased attention. In this study, we combined the surface modification method of sub-atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma with in situ atmospheric pressure surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma(APSDBD) reduction to prepare polyethylene terephthalate supported silver(Ag/PET). Due to the prominent surface modification of PET film, mild plasma reduction, and effective control of the silver morphology by polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP), a 3.32 μm thick silver film with ultralow sliver loading(0.022 wt%) exhibited an EMI shielding efficiency(SE) of 39.45 d B at 0.01 GHz and 31.56 d B at 1.0 GHz(30 d B in the range of 0.01–1.0 GHz). The SEM results and EMI shielding analysis indicated that the high performance originated from the synergistic effect of the formation of silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) with preferentially oriented cell-like surface morphologies and layer-by-layer-like superimposed microstructures inside, which demonstrated strong microwave reflection properties. Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and x-ray diffractometer showed that the surface structures of the heat-sensitive substrate materials were not destroyed by plasma.Additionally, APSDBD technology for preparing Ag/PET had no special requirements on the thickness, dielectric constant, and conductivity of the substrate, which provides an effective strategy for manufacturing metal or alloy films on surfaces of heat-sensitive materials at a relatively low cost.     

Effect of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma and Subsequent Enzymatic Treatment on Flax Fabrics

The objective is to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) plasma and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment on the properties of flax fabrics. The changes of surface morphology and structure, physico-mechanical properties, hy?drophilicity, bending properties, whiteness, and dyeing properties of the treated substrate were investigated. The results indicated that atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma pre-treatment and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment could diminish the hairiness of flax fab?rics, endowing the flax fabrics with good bending properties, water uptake and fiber accessibility while keeping their good mechanical properties compared with those treated with cellulase enzyme alone.     

On surface elementary processes and polymer surface modifications induced by double pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

In this paper, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene films were plasma treated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), which presents a second current pulse with inverse polarity induced at the decreasing applied voltage flank in addition to the main current pulse. The surface modifications of polymer samples were pointed out by two complementary methods: the contact angle method and atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The influence of the voltage pulse parameters as width, falling rate and frequency on the secondary discharge formation was studied and correlated with polymer surface modifications. The plasma treatment is improved when the discharge is driven by a voltage pulses with very fast falling flank. After plasma treatment, roughness of the PE films is not considerably changed; only topographical modifications of PE treated samples being observed, while treated PET surfaces present an increased roughness and a new granular structure, with much smaller features compared to the pristine ones.     

Characteristics of Coaxial Dielectric Barrier Discharge at an Atmospheric Pressure with a Swirling Gas Argon/Oxygen Mixture for the Surface Modification of Polyester Fiber Cord

A newly developed coaxial dielectric barrier discharge reactor with a length of 1000 mm at an atmospheric pressure was used for plasma treatment of polyester fiber cord in a roll-to-roll manner. In this reactor, swirling mixture gases of oxygen of about 1% and argon with a flow rate of 1.5 to 2.7 L/min ensured the gas usage sparing, discharge uniformity and efficient fiber surface modification. The water contact angle and surface morphology of the treated fiber were measured. The results show that the surface oxygenation is mainly responsible for the wettability improvement of the fiber cord when passing through the plasma zone at a linear speed of 3 to 8 m/min. The specimens of modified-polyester fiber reinforced rubber composite were also prepared for the interfacial shear strength tests. Furthermore, the effect of adding oxygen into argon discharge on the fiber surface oxidation was correlated with optical emission spectroscopy. Finally, the effect of adding oxygen into argon discharge on the kinetic processes of the active species generation were also analyzed.     

Electrical and Optical Characterization of DBD and Its Application to Plasma Treatment of PET Fibers

A newly developed atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma treatment system （PLA-PLA） was used in this study. The discharge is characteriz...     

Improvement on Diamond Nucleation Treated by Pulsed Arc Discharge Plasma

A technique of improvement on diamond nucleation based on pulsed arc discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure was developed. The pulsed arc discharge was induced respectively by nitrogen, argon and methanol gas. After the arc plasma pretreatment, a nucleation density higher than 10^10 cm^-2 may be obtained subsequently in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on a mirror-polished silicon substrate without any other mechanical treatment. The effects of the arc discharge plasma on the diamond nucleation were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Raman spectroscopy. The enhancement of nucleation is postulated to be a result of the formation of carbonlike phase materials or nitrogenation on the substrate surface without surface defect produced by arc discharge.     

Experimental study of n-decane decomposition with microsecond pulsed discharge plasma

A highly-integrated experimental system for the plasma decomposition of fuels was built.Experiments were conducted in a flow reactor at atmospheric pressure and confirmed that n-decane could be cracked by large-gap dielectric barrier discharge under the excitation of a microsecond-pulse power supply. Alkanes and olefins with a C atom number that is smaller than10 as well as hydrogen were found in the cracked products of n-decane(n-C10 H22). The combination of preheating and plasma decomposition had strong selectivity for olefins. Under strong discharge conditions, small molecule olefins were found in the products. Moreover, there was a general tendency that small molecule olefins gradually accounted for higher percentage of products at higher temperature and discharge frequency.     

Non-Thermal Equilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Glow-Like Discharge Plasma Jet

Non-thermal equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is a cold plasma source that promises various innovative applications,and the uniform APPJ is more favored.Glow discharge is one of the most effective methods to obtain the uniform discharge.Compared with the glow dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in atmospheric pressure,pure helium APPJ shows partial characteristics of both the glow discharge and the streamer.In this paper,considering the influence of the Penning effect,the electrical and optical properties of He APPJ and Ar/NH3 APPJ were researched.A word "Glow-like APPJ" is used to characterize the uniformity of APPJ,and it was obtained that the basic characteristics of the glow-like APPJ are driven by the kHz AC high voltage.The results can provide a support for generating uniform APPJ,and lay a foundation for its applications.     

Spectroscopic Study of a Radio-Frequency Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge with Anodic Alumina as the Dielectric

This paper presents the fabrication and a spectroscopic study of a stable radiofrequency dielectric barrier discharge(RF DBD) in Ar with a novel dielectric,anodic alumina,at atmospheric pressure.Dielectric electrodes are fabricated from commercially available low cost impure aluminum strips by a two-step anodization process in 0.3 M solution of oxalic acid.The discharge is found to be stable with excellent spatial uniformity for the RF input power range of 30~80 W.Excitation and rotational temperatures measured in the experiment range of 1472~3255 K and 434~484 K,respectively,as the input power changes from 30 W to 80 W.These temperature ranges are suitable for surface modification applications.     

Surface Treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate Film Using Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in polymer surface processing because of their convenience, effectiveness and low cost. In this paper, the treatment of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface for improving hydrophilicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) in air is conducted. The discharge characteristics of APGD are shown by measurement of their electrical discharge parameters and observation of light-emission phenomena, and the surface properties of PET before and after the APGD treatment are studied using contact angle measurement, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the APGD is homogeneous and stable in the whole gas gap, which differs from the commonly filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). A short time (several seconds) APGD treatment can modify the surface characteristics of PET film markedly and uniformly. After 10 s APGD treatment, the     

Investigation of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge and Its Application to Surface Modification of Blood-Filtering Material

Melt-blown polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) nonwoven materials treated by using plasma is regarded as one of the excellent materials to filter white blood cells (WBC) from blood.In this paper, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma source at an improved quasi-stable atmospheric pressure is achieved when discharge voltage, discharge current, and gap between the electrodes are carefully controlled. This plasma source has been used to modify the surface of PBT melt-blown nonwoven materials. Experimental results indicate that both the wettablity and permeation of treated PBT melt-blown nonwoven materials are greatly improved.     

Effect of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment/Followed by Chitosan Grafting on Antifelting and Dyeability of Wool Fabric

Effect of chitosan on antifelting and dyability of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) pretreated wool fabric were evaluated. We have used a DBD, working in an atmospheric pressure air for pretreatment of wool fabric. The chitosan was applied to pretreated wool fabrics by using pad-dry cure technique. The anti-felting properties of the wool samples were studied and it was shown that the shrink resistance and anti-felting behavior of the wool had been significantly improved by the DBD pretreatment followed by chitosan grafting. In addition, dye ability of wool fabrics after plasma/chitosan treatment is improved. Some analytical skills such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope were used to characterize the different aspects of the treated fabric.     

Atmospheric air dielectric barrier discharge excited by nanosecond pulse and AC used for improving the hydrophilicity of aramid fibers

In this paper, a long line-shape dielectric barrier discharge excited by a nanosecond pulse and AC is generated in atmospheric air for the purpose of discussing the uniformity, stability and ability of aramid fiber treatment. The discharge images, waveforms of current and voltage,optical emission spectra, and gas temperatures of both discharges are compared. It is found that nanosecond pulsed discharge has a more uniform discharge morphology, higher energy efficiency and lower gas temperature, which indicates that nanosecond pulsed discharge is more suitable for surface modification. To reduce the water contact angle from 96° to about 60°, the energy cost is only about 1/7 compared with AC discharge. Scanning electron microscopy,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are employed to understand the mechanisms of hydrophilicity improvement.     

Numerical study of the influence of dielectric tube on propagation of atmospheric pressure plasma jet based on coplanar dielectric barrier discharge

A 2D fluid model was employed to simulate the influence of dielectric on the propagation of atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet based on coplanar dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The spatio-temporal distributions of electron density, ionization rate, electrical field, spatial charge and the spatial structure were obtained for different dielectric tubes that limit the helium flow. The results show that the change of the relative permittivity of the dielectric tube where the plasma jet travels inside has no influence on the formation of DBD itself, but has great impact on the jet propagation. The velocity of the plasma jet changes drastically when the jet passes from a tube of higher permittivity to one of lower permittivity, resulting in an increase in jet length,ionization rate and electric field, as well as a change in the distribution of space charges and discharge states. The radius of the dielectric tube has a great influence on the ring-shaped or solid bullet structure. These results can well explain the behavior of the plasma jet from the dielectric tube into the ambient air and the hollow bullet in experiments.     

Super-hydrophobic film deposition by an atmospheric-pressure plasma process and its anti-icing characteristics

In this work, the super-hydrophobic (SH) surface was prepared through chemical vapor deposition process by an argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet source with HMDSN (hexamethyldisilazane) as the polymerization precursor. Plasma synthesized organosilicon (SiO_xC_yH_z) thin films with water contact angle over 160° and sliding angle below 5°, were able to be achieved. FTIR and XPS analysis indicates a large number of hydrocarbon compositions were polymerized in the thin films enduing the latter very-low surface free energy. SEM shows the SH films display micro-nanostructure and with high degree of averaged surface roughness 190 nm evaluated by AFM analysis. From experiments under controlled low-temperature and moisture conditions, the prepared SH surface exhibits good anti-icing effects. Significantly prolonging freezing time was achievable on the SH thin films for both static and sliding water droplets. This investigation demonstrates the anti-icing potentials of SH surface prepared through low-cost simple atmospheric-pressure plasma polymerization process.