Showing papers on "Atmospheric pressure published in 2014"

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges interacting with liquid covered tissue

Abstract: The interaction of plasmas with liquids is of increasing importance in biomedical applications. Tissues treated by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in plasma medicine are often covered by a thin layer of liquid, typically a blood serum like water with dissolved gases and proteins up to hundreds of micrometres thick. The liquid processes the plasma-produced radicals and ions prior to their reaching the tissue. In this paper, we report on a computational investigation of the interaction of DBDs in humid air with a thin water layer covering tissue. The water layer, 50–400 µm thick, contains dissolved O2aq (aq means an aqueous species) and alkane-like hydrocarbons (RHaq). In the model, the DBDs are operated with multiple pulses at 100 Hz followed by a 1 s afterglow. Gas phase reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) intersect the water-vapour saturated air above the liquid and then solvate when reaching the water. The photolysis of water by plasma-produced UV/VUV plays a significant role in the production of radicals. Without RHaq ,O − , ONOO − ,N O − and hydronium (H3O +) dominate the water ions with H3O + determining the pH. The dominant RONS in the liquid are O3aq ,H 2O2aq, and HNOxaq. Dissolved O2aq assists the production of HNO3aq and HOONOaq during the afterglow. With RHaq, reactive oxygen species are largely consumed, leaving an R·aq (alkyl radical) to reach the tissue. These results are sensitive to the thickness of the water layer.

Emission features and expansion dynamics of nanosecond laser ablation plumes at different ambient pressures

Abstract: The influence of ambient pressure on the spectral emission features and expansion dynamics of a plasma plume generated on a metal target has been investigated. The plasma plumes were generated by irradiating Cu targets using 6 ns, 1064 nm pulses from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The emission and expansion dynamics of the plasma plumes were studied by varying air ambient pressure levels ranging from vacuum to atmospheric pressure. The ambient pressure levels were found to affect both the line intensities and broadening along with the signal to background and signal to noise ratios and the optimum pressure conditions for analytical applications were evaluated. The characteristic plume parameters were estimated using emission spectroscopy means and noticed that the excitation temperature peaked ∼300 Torr, while the electron density showed a maximum ∼100 Torr. Fast-gated images showed a complex interaction between the plume and background air leading to changes in the plume geometry with pressure as well as time. Surface morphology of irradiated surface showed that the pressure of the ambient gas affects the laser-target coupling significantly.

Common 0.1 bar tropopause in thick atmospheres set by pressure-dependent infrared transparency

Abstract: In many planetary atmospheres, including that of Earth, the base of the stratosphere—the tropopause—occurs at an atmospheric pressure of 0.1 bar. A physically based model demonstrates that the pressure-dependence of transparency to infrared radiation leads to a common tropopause pressure that is probably applicable to many planetary bodies with thick atmospheres. A minimum atmospheric temperature, or tropopause, occurs at a pressure of around 0.1 bar in the atmospheres of Earth1, Titan2, Jupiter3, Saturn4, Uranus and Neptune4, despite great differences in atmospheric composition, gravity, internal heat and sunlight. In all of these bodies, the tropopause separates a stratosphere with a temperature profile that is controlled by the absorption of short-wave solar radiation, from a region below characterized by convection, weather and clouds5,6. However, it is not obvious why the tropopause occurs at the specific pressure near 0.1 bar. Here we use a simple, physically based model7 to demonstrate that, at atmospheric pressures lower than 0.1 bar, transparency to thermal radiation allows short-wave heating to dominate, creating a stratosphere. At higher pressures, atmospheres become opaque to thermal radiation, causing temperatures to increase with depth and convection to ensue. A common dependence of infrared opacity on pressure, arising from the shared physics of molecular absorption, sets the 0.1 bar tropopause. We reason that a tropopause at a pressure of approximately 0.1 bar is characteristic of many thick atmospheres, including exoplanets and exomoons in our galaxy and beyond. Judicious use of this rule could help constrain the atmospheric structure, and thus the surface environments and habitability, of exoplanets.

A nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharge in air at high pressures and different polarities of applied pulses: transition to filamentary mode

Abstract: The development of a nanosecond surface dielectric barrier discharge in air at pressures 1–6 bar is studied. At atmospheric pressure, the discharge develops as a set of streamers starting synchronously from the high-voltage electrode and propagating along the dielectric layer. Streamers cover the dielectric surface creating a ‘quasi-uniform’ plasma layer. At high pressures and high voltage amplitudes on the cathode, filamentation of the discharge is observed a few nanoseconds after the discharge starts. Parameters of the observed ‘streamers-to-filaments’ transition are measured; physics of transition is discussed on the basis of theoretical estimates and numerical modeling. Ionization-heating instability on the boundary of the cathode layer is suggested as a mechanism of filamentation.

Physics on development of open-air atmospheric pressure thin film fabrication technique using mist droplets: Control of precursor flow

Abstract: Mist CVD, which is one of the functional thin-film fabrication methods carried out under open-air atmospheric pressure, has been developed for advanced control of precursor streams in order to achieve the fabrication of uniform thin films. In order to obtain a uniform stream of flow including mist droplets, collisional mixing has been considered, and a fine channel (FC) nozzle has been developed using this technology. In the FC, mist droplets are affected by the lift forces toward the direction of the substrate, the gas temperature of the entire area reaches a constant, and owing to the Leidenfrost effect, the evaporation time of a mist droplet is remarkably long as several hundred milliseconds and the migration of a mist droplet extends to a distance of several hundred millimeters. From these characteristic phenomena in the FC, the formation of uniform thin films on the entire surface has been achieved using the FC-type mist (FCM-) CVD system.

Using dimers to measure biosignatures and atmospheric pressure for terrestrial exoplanets.

Abstract: We present a new method to probe atmospheric pressure on Earth-like planets using (O2-O2) dimers in the near-infrared. We also show that dimer features could be the most readily detectable biosignatures for Earth-like atmospheres and may even be detectable in transit transmission with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The absorption by dimers changes more rapidly with pressure and density than that of monomers and can therefore provide additional information about atmospheric pressures. By comparing the absorption strengths of rotational and vibrational features to the absorption strengths of dimer features, we show that in some cases it may be possible to estimate the pressure at the reflecting surface of a planet. This method is demonstrated by using the O2 A band and the 1.06 μm dimer feature, either in transmission or reflected spectra. It works best for planets around M dwarfs with atmospheric pressures between 0.1 and 10 bar and for O2 volume mixing ratios above 50% of Earth's present-...

Space and time analysis of the nanosecond scale discharges in atmospheric pressure air: I. Gas temperature and vibrational distribution function of N 2 and O 2

Abstract: Reliable experimental data on nanosecond discharge plasmas in air become more and more crucial considering their interest in a wide field of applications. However, the investigations on such nonequilibrium plasmas are made difficult by the spatial non-homogeneities, in particular under atmospheric pressure, the wide range of time scales, and the complexity of multi-physics processes involved therein. In this study, we report spatiotemporal experimental analysis on the gas temperature and the vibrational excitation of N2 and O2 in their ground electronic state during the post-discharge of an overvoltage nanosecond-pulsed discharge generated in a pin-to-plane gap of air at atmospheric pressure. The gas temperature during the pulsed discharge is measured by optical emission spectroscopy related to the rotational bands of the 0?0 vibrational transition N2(C?3??u, v?=?0)???N2(B3??g, v?=?0) of nitrogen. The results show a rapid gas heating up to 700?K in tens of nanoseconds after the current rise. This fast gas heating leads to a high gas temperature up to 1000?K measured at 150?ns in the first stages of the post-discharge using spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS). The spatiotemporal measurements of the gas temperature and the vibrational distribution function of N2 and O2, also obtained by SRS, over the post-discharge show the spatial expansion of the high vibrational excitation of N2, and the gas heating during the post-discharge. The present measurements, focused on thermal and energetic aspect of the discharge, provide a base for spatiotemporal analysis of gas number densities of N2, O2 and O atoms and hydrodynamic effects achieved during the post-discharge in part II of this investigation. All these results provide space and time database for the validation of plasma chemical models for nanosecond-pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure air.

Thermal and hydrodynamic effects of nanosecond discharges in atmospheric pressure air

Abstract: We present quantitative schlieren measurements and numerical analyses of the thermal and hydrodynamic effects of a nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) discharge in atmospheric pressure air at 300 and 1000 K. The plasma is created by voltage pulses at an amplitude of 10 kV and a duration of 10 ns, applied at a frequency of 1–10 kHz between two pin electrodes separated by 2 or 4 mm. The electrical energy of each pulse is of the order of 1 mJ. We recorded single-shot schlieren images starting from 50 ns to 3 µs after the discharge. The time-resolved images show the shock-wave propagation and the expansion of the heated gas channel. Gas density profiles simulated in 1D cylindrical coordinates have been used to reconstruct numerical schlieren images for comparison with experimental ones. We propose an original method to determine the initial gas temperature and the fraction of energy transferred into ultrafast gas heating, using a comparison of the contrast profiles obtained from experimental and numerical schlieren images. This method is found to be much more sensitive to these parameters than the direct comparison of measured and predicted shock-wave and heated channel radii. The results show that a significant fraction of the electric energy is converted into gas heating within a few tens of ns. The values range from about 25% at a reduced electric field of 164 Td to about 75% at 270 Td, with a strong dependance on the initial gas temperature. These experiments support the fast heating processes via dissociative quenching of N2(B 3 � g ,C 3 � u) by molecular oxygen.

Measurement of Reactive Hydroxyl Radical Species Inside the Biosolutions During Non-thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Bombardment onto the Solution

Abstract: Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet could generate various kinds of radicals on biosolution surfaces as well as inside the biosolutions. The electron temperature and ion density for this non-thermal plasma jet have been measured to be about 0.8~1.0 eV and 1 × 1013 cm−3 in this experiment, respectively, by atmospheric pressure collisional radiative model and ion collector current. In this context, the hydroxyl OH radical density inside the biosolutions has been also investigated experimentally by ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy when the Ar non-thermal plasma jet has been bombarded onto them. It is found that the emission and absorption profiles for the other reactive oxygen species such as NO (226 nm) and O2*− (245 nm) are shown to be very small inside the biosolution in comparison with those for the OH radical species. It is found that the densities of OH radical species inside the biosolutions are higher than those on the surface in this experiment. The densities of the OH radical species inside the deionized water, Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium, and phosphate buffered saline are measured to be about 2.1 × 1016, 1.1 × 1016, and 1.0 × 1016 cm−3, respectively, at 2 mm downstream from the surface under optimized Ar gas flow of 200 sccm. It is also found that the critical hydroxyl OH radical density for the lung cancer H460 cells to experience an apoptosis is observed to be around 0.3 × 1016 cm−3 under 1 min plasma exposure in this experiment.

Chemical reactions in liquid induced by atmospheric-pressure dc glow discharge in contact with liquid

Abstract: We experimentally investigated some of the initial reactions in a liquid induced by electron or positive-ion irradiation from an atmospheric-pressure dc glow discharge in contact with the liquid. Aqueous solutions of NaCl, AgNO3, and HAuCl4 are used as the electrolyte. We measured the pH and conductivity in the liquid at approximately 1 cm below the solution surfaces. OH radical generation in the liquid was observed by a chemical probe method. Experimental results showed that electron irradiation of the liquid surface generates OH− in water and that positive-ion irradiation of the liquid surface generates H+ in water even without the dissolution of gas-phase nitrogen oxide. A possible reaction process is qualitatively discussed. In particular, the contribution of charge transfer collision between impinging low-energy positive ions and water molecules to the ionic species in the liquid is used to explain the overall tendency of the experimental results.

A systematic study of the atmospheric pressure growth of large-area hexagonal crystalline boron nitride film

Abstract: The growth of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is of much interest owing to its outstanding properties and for scalable two dimensional (2D) electronics applications. Here, we report the controllable growth of h-BN on a copper substrate using the atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method using ammonia borane as the precursor. The advantages of using APCVD include its ease of setup utilizing fewer resources, low cost and fast growth, all of which are essential for full film coverage and the mass production of 2D h-BN. In this study, we observed a substrate-position dependent evolution of h-BN domains at various stages of growth as the density and size of the domains increased downstream along the quartz tube. Other critical parameters such as growth temperature, deposition time, temperature and mass of precursor were also systemically investigated in order to understand the factors influencing the growth of the h-BN film. Importantly, with a slight increase in the growth temperature of 50 °C, we observe a significant (∼17-fold) increase in the average domain size, and its further expansion for a longer duration of growth. Likewise, our parametric study highlights the impact of other crucial parameters on domain size, coverage, and thickness of the h-BN film.

Crystalline Si nanoparticles below crystallization threshold: Effects of collisional heating in non-thermal atmospheric-pressure microplasmas

Abstract: Nucleation and growth of highly crystalline silicon nanoparticles in atmospheric-pressure low-temperature microplasmas at gas temperatures well below the Si crystallization threshold and within a short (100 μs) period of time are demonstrated and explained. The modeling reveals that collision-enhanced ion fluxes can effectively increase the heat flux on the nanoparticle surface and this heating is controlled by the ion density. It is shown that nanoparticles can be heated to temperatures above the crystallization threshold. These combined experimental and theoretical results confirm the effective heating and structure control of Si nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure and low gas temperatures.

Two-dimensional simulation of fast gas heating in an atmospheric pressure streamer discharge and humidity effects

Abstract: Gas heating in an atmospheric-pressure streamer discharge was analysed by a two-dimensional streamer discharge simulation model describing internal molecular energy transfer. Our two-dimensional streamer simulation model incorporates concepts from the fast gas heating mechanism proposed by Popov (2011 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 44 285201) and our self-developed state-to-state vibrational kinetics. In dry air, gas heating occurs mainly from electron-impact dissociation reactions of O2 molecules and from quenching processes of electronically excited N2(B 3Πg, C 3Πu) molecules and O(1D) atoms. In humid air, rapid vibration-to-translation transitions of H2O and the exothermicity of the OH formation reactions additionally increase the gas temperature. It is shown that gas heating during the discharge pulse increases with humidity.

Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharges Generated in Contact with Flowing Liquid Cathode: Production of Active Species and Application in Wastewater Purification Processes

Abstract: Miniaturized atmospheric pressure glow discharges (APGDs) were generated in contact with small sized flowing liquid cathode systems. As anodes a solid pin electrode or a miniature flow Ar microjet were applied. Both discharge systems were operated in the open to air atmosphere. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as well as ammonium (NH4 +), nitrate (NO3 −), and nitrite (NO2 −) ions were quantified in solutions treated by studied discharge systems. Additionally, an increase in the acidification of these solutions was noted in each case. Emission spectra of the near cathode zone of both systems were measured in order to elucidate mechanisms that lead to the formation of active species in gas and liquid phases of the discharge. Additionally, the concentration of active species in the liquid phase (H2O2, NH4 +, NO3 − and NO2 −) was monitored as a function of the solution uptake rate and the flow rate of Ar. The suitability of investigated discharge systems in the water treatment was tested on artificial wastewaters containing an organic dye (methyl red), hardly removable by classical methods non-ionic surfactants (light Triton x-45 and heavy Triton x-405) and very toxic Cr(VI) ions. Preliminary results presented here indicate that both investigated flow-through APGD systems may successfully be applied for the efficient and fast on-line continuous flow chemical degradation of toxic and hazardous organic and inorganic species in wastewater solutions.

Ambient Temperature Hydrocarbon Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx Using Atmospheric Pressure Nonthermal Plasma Activation of a Ag/Al2O3 Catalyst

Abstract: Atmospheric pressure nonthermal-plasma-activated catalysis for the removal of NOx using hydrocarbon selective catalytic reduction has been studied utilizing toluene and n-octane as the hydrocarbon reductant. When the plasma was combined with a Ag/Al2O3 catalyst, a strong enhancement in activity was observed when compared with conventional thermal activation with high conversions of both NOx and hydrocarbons obtained at temperature ≤250 °C, where the silver catalyst is normally inactive. Importantly, even in the absence of an external heat source, significant activity was obtained. This low temperature activity provides the basis for applying nonthermal plasmas to activate emission control catalysts during cold start conditions, which remains an important issue for mobile and stationary applications.

Characteristics of atmospheric-pressure non-thermal N2 and N2/O2 gas mixture plasma jet

Abstract: An atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasma jet driven by high frequency alternating current and operating on N2 and N2/O2 gas mixture is investigated. The plasma jet can reach 55 mm in length at a gas flow rate of 2500 l/h. The gas temperature at a distance of 4 mm from the nozzle is close to room temperature. Optical emission spectroscopy is employed to investigate the important plasma parameters such as the excited species, rotational temperature, vibrational temperature, and excitation temperature under different discharge conditions. The results show that the plasma source operates under non-equilibrium conditions. The absolute irradiance intensity of the vibrational band N2(C-B) in the active region is measured. Taking into account the irradiance intensity of N2(C-B,0-0) and N2(B-X,0-0) as well as measured current, the electron density, which is determined by considering direct and step-wise electron impact excitation of nitrogen emission, reaches a maximum value of 5.6 × 1020/m3.

Deviations from the Paschen's law at short gap distances from 100 nm to 10 μm in air and nitrogen

Abstract: Deviations from the Paschen's law in air and nitrogen are investigated for gaps from 100 nm to 10 μm, by using a high precision electrode positioning system. The deviation is observed when electrode gaps are smaller than 4 μm at atmospheric pressure. At distances lower than 1 μm, a nearly constant average breakdown field of 350 V/μm is evidenced in both gases with Au and Ru electrodes. A metallic plasma initiated by field emission from the cathode can explain the reduction of the breakdown voltage at such low gaps. In ambient air, the existence of a pre-breakdown current is also evidenced, probably due to the presence of water adsorbed on electrodes.

Background gas collisional effects on expanding fs and ns laser ablation plumes

Abstract: The collisional effects of a background gas on expanding ultrafast and short pulse laser ablation plumes were investigated by varying background pressure from vacuum to atmospheric pressure levels. For producing Cu ablation plumes, either 40 fs, 800 nm pulses from a Ti: Sapphire laser or 6 ns, 1,064 nm pulses from a Nd:YAG laser were used. The role of background pressure on plume hydrodynamics, spectral emission features, absolute line intensities, signal to background ratios and ablation craters was studied. Though the signal intensities were found to be maximum near to atmospheric pressure levels, the optimum signal to background ratios are observed ~20–50 Torr for both ns and fs laser ablation plumes. The differences in laser–target and laser–plasma couplings between ns and fs lasers were found to be more engraved in the crater morphologies and plasma hydrodynamic expansion features.

Throwing Light on Petroleum: Simulated Exposure of Crude Oil to Sunlight and Characterization Using Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry

Abstract: The change in profile of crude oil following a release into the environment is a topic of significant interest, and there is a need to develop analytical methodologies for understanding natural processes which affect related complex mixture profiles. One such process is the exposure to sunlight. In the following investigation, three oil samples were studied: one served as a control, a second was subjected to irradiation by an ultraviolet lamp, and a third sample was irradiated by a SoLux light source which closely models the solar emission profile. The usage of the SoLux light source represents a new method which enables a controlled experiment to mimic the effects of sunlight upon the sample. Atmospheric pressure photoionization was selected as the primary ionization method due to the ability to ionize a broad range of compounds, including low polarity components which could not be observed using electrospray ionization. During a test of sample preparation methods, the addition of a protic cosolvent to t...

Daytime measurements of atmospheric temperature profiles (2-15 km) by lidar utilizing Rayleigh-Brillouin scattering.

Abstract: In this Letter, we report on a novel method for measuring atmospheric temperature profiles by lidar during daytime for heights of 2–15.3 km, with a vertical resolution of 0.3–2.2 km, using Rayleigh–Brillouin scattering. The measurements are performed by scanning a laser (λ=355 nm) over a 12 GHz range and using a Fabry–Perot interferometer as discriminator. The temperature is derived by using a new analytical line shape model assuming standard atmospheric pressure conditions. Two exemplary temperature profiles resulting from measurements over 14 and 27 min are shown. A comparison with radiosonde temperature measurements shows reasonable agreement. In cloud-free conditions, the temperature difference reaches up to 5 K within the boundary layer, and is smaller than 2.5 K above. The statistical error of the derived temperatures is between 0.15 and 1.5 K.