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     

Transition from Spark Discharge to Constricted Glow Discharge in Atmospheric Air by Capacitor Coupled Discharge

The transition from a spark discharge to a constricted glow discharge in atmospheric air was studied with a capacitor coupled pin-to-water plasma reactor. The reason of the transition is considered to be of various factors, namely the change of the air gap due to the polarization of water molecules by the electric field, the feedback effect of the capacitors, and the ion trapping mechanism. The effects of the frequency of the power supply, inter-electrode gap, and coupled capacitance on the discharge transition were also investigated.     

Characteristics of a Normal Glow Discharge Excited by DC Voltage in Atmospheric Pressure Air

Atmospheric pressure glow discharges were generated in an air gap between a needle cathode and a water anode. Through changing the ballast resistor and gas gap width between the electrodes, it has been found that the discharges are in normal glow regime judged from the currentvoltage characteristics and visualization of the discharges. Results indicate that the diameter of the positive column increases with increasing discharge current or increasing gap width. Optical emission spectroscopy is used to calculate the electron temperature and vibrational temperature. Both the electron temperature and the vibrational temperature increases with increasing discharge current or increasing gap width. Spatially resolved measurements show that the maxima of electron temperature and vibrational temperature appeared in the vicinity of the needle cathode.     

RC-Coupled Atmospheric Glow Discharge in Air

Resistance and capacity-coupled glow discharge （RCCGD） is a new method to produce atmospheric pressure glow discharge in air. In RCCGD, each electrode is connected with both a resistor R and a capacitor C. The R and C can provide a negative feedback to prevent the transition from glow to spark discharge. The influence of coupled resistance, coupled capacity, inter-electrode gap and power source frequency on the discharge is studied and discussed.     

Characterization of Nitrogen Glow Discharge Plasma via Optical Emission Spectrum Simulation

Optical emission spectroscopy in nitrogen glow discharge plasma is simulated, and the collision excitations and characteristic emissions of the species （N2, N2^＋, N^＋, N） are investigated by a Monte Carlo model for nitrogen molecular gas discharge. The excitation rates of the main excited states are calculated and the corresponding relation and relative magnitude between the distribution of excitation rate of a certain excited state and the distributions of the emission rates of various lines originating from this excited level are also explored. The simulated results are compared with the experimental measurements in two typical discharge conditions. The luminescence mechanism of the line N2^＋： 391.4 nm is explained based on the microscopic plasma processes. The cathode glow in N2 discharge is found to be mainly caused by N^＋ impact excitation and the intensity of cathode glow decreases with the voltage. The corresponding relation between the emission rate or intensity of the 391.4 nm line and the production rate and the density of N2^＋ is also examined.     

Study on Glow Discharge Plasma Used in Polyester Surface Modification

To achieve an atmospheric pressure glow discharge(APGD)in air and modify the surface of polyester thread using plasma,the electric field distribution and discharge characteristics under different conditions were studied.We found that the region with a strong electric field,which was formed in a tiny gap between two electrodes constituting a line-line contact electrode structure,provided the initial electron for the entire discharge process.Thus,the discharge voltage was reduced.The dielectric barrier of the line-line contact electrodes can inhibit the generation of secondary electrons.Thus,the transient current pulse discharge was reduced significantly,and an APGD in air was achieved.We designed double layer line-line contact electrodes,which can generate the APGD on the surface of a material under treatment directly.A noticeable change in the surface morphology of polyester fiber was visualized with the aid of a scanning electron microscope(SEM).Two electrode structures–the multi-row line-line and double-helix line-line contact electrodes–were designed.A large area of the APGD plasma with flat and curved surfaces can be formed in air using these contact electrodes.This can improve the efficiency of surface treatment and is significant for the application of the APGD plasma in industries.     

Temporally-Resolved Emission Spectroscopic Diagnostics of the Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Helium

Temporally-resolved spectroscopic diagnostics of dielectric barrier discharges(DBDs) in atmospheric-pressure helium was carried out to study the discharge mechanism.Using an intensified charge-coupled device(ICCD) and a grating spectrometer,we obtained the emission spectra of homogeneous discharges and presented them in 3D graphs.We also studied the time variation of typical emissions from He,O and first negative bands of N+ 2.The results showed that the spectral lines do not develop synchronously as N+ 2(B2u+X2∑+g,0~0,λ=391.4 nm) and N∑+2(B2∑+u → X2∑+g,0~1,λ=427.8 nm) appear earlier and last for a longer time than He(33S1 → 23P1,λ=706.5 nm) and O(35P→35S,λ=777.4 nm).A certain number of He metastables produced in the initial stage of discharge.Even between adjacent pulses,the emissions from N∑+2 can still keep certain intensities while those from He and O extinguish.Since long-lifetime He metastables are produced and exist in the discharging space,it is the Penning ionization that keeps the long decay of N∑+2 emissions.     

Improving Hydrophobicity of Glass Surface Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in industrial applications, especially in material surface treatment. In this paper, the treatment of a glass surface for improving hydrophobicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure in ambient air is conducted, and the surface properties of the glass before and after the DBD treatment are studied by using contact angle measurement, surface resistance measurement and wet flashover voltage tests. The effects of the applied voltage and time duration of DBD on the surface modification are studied, and the optimal conditions for the treatment are obtained. It is found that a layer of hydrophobic coating is formed on the glass surface after spraying a thin layer of silicone oil and undergoing the DBD treatment, and the improvement of hydrophobicity depends on DBD voltage and treating time. It seems that there exists an optimum treating time for a certain applied voltage of DBD during the surface treatment, The test results of thermal aging and chemical aging show that the hydrophobic layer has quite stable characteristics. The interaction mechanism between the DBD plasma and the glass surface is discussed. It is concluded that CHa and large molecule radicals can react with the radicals in the glass surface to replace OH, and the hydrophobicity of the glass surface is improved accordingly.     

Diagnosis of Electronic Excitation Temperature in Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure

The electronic excitation temperature of a surface dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure has been experimentally investigated by optical emission spectroscopic measurements combined with numerical simulation. Experiments have been carried out to deter- mine the spatial distribution of electric field by using FEM software and the electronic excitation temperature in discharge by calculating ratio of two relative intensities of atomic spectral lines. In this work, we choose seven Ar atomic emission lines at 415.86 nm [（3s^23p^5）5p →（3s^23p^5）4s] and 706.7 nm, 714.7 nm, 738.4 nm, 751.5 nm, 794.8 nm and 800.6 nm [（3s^23p^5）4p → （3s^23p^5）4s] to estimate the excitation temperature under a Boltzmann approximation. The average electron energy is evaluated in each discharge by using line ratio of 337.1 nm （N2（C^3Пu →B3Пg）） to 391.4 nm （N2^＋（B2 ∑u^＋→ ∑g^＋））. Furthermore, variations of the electronic excitation tempera- ture are presented versus dielectric thickness and dielectric materials. The discharge is stable and uniform along the axial direction, and the electronic excitation temperature at the edge of the copper electrode is the largest. The corresponding average electron energy is in the range of 1.6- 5.1 eV and the electric field is in 1.7-3.2 MV/m, when the distance from copper electrode varies from 0 cm to 6 cm. Moreover, the electronic excitation temperature with a higher permittivity leads to a higher dissipated electrical power.     

Electrical characters and optical emission spectra of VBD coupled SBD excited by sine AC voltage in atmospheric air

In this paper,volume coupled surface barrier discharge(V-SBD) with three structures possessing different volumes is excited by sine AC power in atmospheric air.Discharge images,waveforms of applied voltage and discharge current,and optical emission spectra simulating rotational and vibrational temperatures are recorded and analyzed.The effects of applied voltage on emission intensities of N_2(C~3Π_u→ B~3Π_g) and N_2~+(B~2∑_u~+ → X~2E_g~+),and rotational and vibrational temperatures are investigated.The results show that as applied voltage rises,emission intensities and rotational temperatures increase while vibrational temperatures decrease.In addition it is found that,as applied voltage varies,the rotational temperature of surface discharge changes faster than that of volume discharge.     

Wire-to-Plate Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge and Induced Ionic Wind

The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the wire-to-plate surface dielectric barrier discharge and the induced ionic wind are investigated experimentally.The different temporal behaviors in positive and negative half-cycles are studied by time-resolved images.It is shown that the discharge and the light emission are generally stronger in the positive half cycle.The discharge is inhomogeneous and propagates in streamer mode;however,in the negative half-cycle,the discharge appears visually uniformly and operates in the diffuse mode.The surface discharge can produce ionic wind about several m/s above the dielectric surface.There exists an optimal width of the grounded electrode to produce a larger plasma area or active wind region.Increasing of the applied voltage or normalized dielectric constant leads to a larger wind velocity.The performance of ionic wind on flow control is visualized by employing a smoke stream.     

Filament Discharge Phenomena in Fingerprint Acquisition by Dielectric Barrier Discharge

In this paper, the dielectric barrier discharge fingerprint acquisition technique is introduced. The filament discharge phenomena were observed in the process of fingerprint acquisition. The filament discharge reduced the quality of fingerprint images. Obviously, it was necessary to eliminate streamer discharges in order to get good fingerprint images. The streamer discharge was considered to be the cause of the filament discharge in the experiment. The relationship between the critical electric field and the discharge gap was calculated with the Raether＇s model of streamer discharge. The calculated results and our experiment proved that it would be difficult for the streamer discharge to occur when the discharge gap was narrow. With a narrow discharge gap, the discharge was homogeneous, and the fingerprint images were clear and large in area. The images obtained in the experiment are very suitable for fingerprint identification as they contain more information.     

Discharge Modes Suggested by Emission Spectra of Nitrogen Dielectric Barrier Discharge with Wire-Cylinder Electrodes

In this paper,nitrogen dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) plasma was generated in a quartz tube with coaxial wire-cylinder electrodes at atmospheric pressure.By varying the nitrogen gas flow(FN) in the range of 0-1 m3/h,the plasma optical emission spectra(OES) were measured and studied.The vibration(T_(vib)) and rotation temperature(T_(rot)) of nitrogen were obtained,by fitting the rovibronic bands of N_2(C~3∏_u-B~3∏_g,0-1),and by the Boltzmann plot method for purposes of comparison.T_(vib) increased up to 2481 K with increasing nitrogen flow till0.2 m3/h,and then decreased with further increasing FN,while Trot decreased monotonously and approached to-350 K for FN ≥ 0.6 m~3/h.The intensity of N_2(C~3∏_u-B~3∏_g,0-0,1-0,0-3) and N_2~+(B~2∑_u~+-X~2Σ_g~+,0-0) exhibited similar evolution with increasing FN to those of the T_(vib) and Trot,respectively.The discharge photos revealed that the discharge filaments gradually decreased with increasing FN,and eventually disappeared,which implied that a discharge mode transition emerged with increasing FN.The possible mechanism for the discharge mode transition is studied in detail according to the vibration(T_(vib)) and rotation temperature(T_(rot)) of nitrogen.     

Low Pressure DC Glow Discharge Air Plasma Surface Treatment of Polyethylene (PE) Film for Improvement of Adhesive Properties

The present work deals with the change in surface properties of polyethylene (PE) film using DC low pressure glow discharge air plasma and makes it useful for technical applications. The change in hydrophilicity of the modified PE film surface was investigated by measuring contact angle and surface energy as a function of exposure time. Changes in the morphological and chemical composition of PE films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The improvement in adhesion was studied by measuring T-peel and lap-shear strength. The results show that the wettability and surface energy of the PE film has been improved due to the introduction of oxygen-containing polar groups and an increase in surface roughness. The XPS result clearly shows the increase in concentration of oxygen content and the formation of polar groups on the polymer surface. The AFM observation on PE film shows that the roughness of the surface increased due to plasma treatment. The above morphological and chemical changes enhanced the adhesive properties of the PE film surfaces, which was confirmed by T-peel and lap-shear tests.     

Measurement of Temporally and Spatially Resolved Electron Density in the Filament of a Pulsed Spark Discharge in Water

The temporally and spatially resolved optical emission spectrum of Hα of a pulsed spark discharge in water was experimentally measured. The temporally and spatially resolved electron densities, along the radial direction of the spark filament, for a pulsed spark discharge in water with a conductivity of 100 μS/cm were investigated. The electron density in the spark filament was found to be in the 10~(18)/cm~3 order of magnitude. The highest electron density was measured at the primary stage of the spark filament, and it decreased with time. The radial distribution of electron density increased from the center to the edge of the spark filament.     

不同参数对GDP薄膜的结构与力学性能的影响

采用辉光放电等离子体聚合技术,在不同制备参数条件下,制备了辉光放电聚合物（GDP）薄膜。利用傅里叶变换红外吸收光谱对GDP薄膜的化学结构组成进行了分析,采用纳米压痕技术对GDP薄膜的硬度及杨氏模量进行了表征,探讨了GDP薄膜的化学结构组成、硬度及杨氏模量随制备参数的变化规律。研究表明：随着工作气压和反式二丁烯与氢气（T₂B/H₂）流量比逐渐降低,GDP薄膜中SP³（CH₃）基团随之降低,SP²（CH₂）基团含量和SP³（CH_1,2）随之增加;GDP薄膜的硬度与杨氏模量随着工作气压、T₂B/H₂流量比的降低而逐渐增大。     

The Experimental Investigations of Dielectric Barrier Discharge and Pulse Corona Discharge in Air Cleaning

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and pulse corona discharge(POD) plasmagenerator was used to remove NHa, H2S, C7H8 etc. from atmosphere. The principle and charac-teristic of the two ways was discussed in the article. The test shows the result of PCD is betterthan that of DBD.     

Surface Modification of Polyethylene （PE） Films Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma at Atmospheric Pressure

Modification of the surface properties of polyethylene （PE） films is studied using air dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure. The treated samples are examined by Water contact angle measurements, Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy （FTIR-ATR）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. With the increase in treating time, the water contact angle changes from 93.2° before treatment to a minimum of 53.3° after a treatment for 50 s. Both ATR and XPS results show some oxidized species are introduced into the sample surface by the plasma treatment and the tendency of the water contact angle with the treating time is the same as that of oxygen concentration on the treated sample surface. SEM result shows the surface roughness of PE samples increases with the treatment time increasing.     

Improvement of Polytetrafluoroethylene Surface Energy by Repetitive Pulse Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy by non-thermal plasma treatment is presented, using a nanosecond-positive-edge repetitive pulsed dielectri...     

Study on the Generation Characteristics of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas on Water Surface简

A new contact glow discharge electrode employed in this study. Because of the strong field the electrode and the water surface, glow discharge on the surface of water was designed and strength in the small air gap formed by plasmas were generated and used to treat waste water. The electric field distribution of the designed electrode model was simulated by MAXWELL 3D~ simulation software, and the discharge parameters were measured. Through a series of experiments, we investigated the impact of optimal designs, such as the dielectric of the electrode, immersion depths, and curvature radii of the electrode on the generation characteristics of plasmas. In addition, we designed an equipotential multi-electrode configuration to treat a Methyl Violet solution and observe the discoloration effect. The experimental and simulation results indicate that the designed electrodes can realize glow discharge with a relative low voltage, and the generated plasmas covered a large area and were in stable state. The efficiency of water treatment is improved and optimized with the designed electrodes.