A large-scale cold plasma jet: generation mechanism and application effect

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma jets(APCPJs) typically exhibit a slender, conical structure,which imposes limitations on their application for surface modification due to the restricted treatment area. In this paper, we introduce a novel plasma jet morphology known as the large-scale cold plasma jet(LSCPJ), characterized by the presence of both a central conical plasma jet and a peripheral trumpet-like diffuse plasma jet. The experimental investigations have identified the factors influencing the conical and the trumpet-like diffuse plasma jet, and theoretical simulations have shed light on the role of the flow field and the electric field in shaping the formation of the LSCPJ. It is proved that, under conditions of elevated helium concentration, the distributions of impurity gas particles and the electric field jointly determine the plasma jet’s morphology. High-speed ICCD camera images confirm the dynamic behavior of plasma bullets in LSCPJ, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. Finally, it is demonstrated that when applied to the surface treatment of silicone rubber, LSCPJ can achieve a treatment area over 28 times larger than that of APCPJ under equivalent conditions. This paper uncovers the crucial role of impurity gases and electric fields in shaping plasma jet morphology and opens up the possibility of efficiently diversifying plasma jet generation effects through external electromagnetic fields. These insights hold the promise of reducing the generation cost of plasma jets and expanding their applications across various industrial sectors.

锥–螺旋电极在真空等离子体生成中的作用

为了研究真空脉冲放电中放电电流产生的磁场对生成的等离子体的束缚效果,设计了一种锥–螺旋状的真空放电电极结构,借助Ansoft Maxwell 3D电磁场仿真软件,对比分析了锥–筒状电极与锥–螺旋状电极的磁场分布,重点讨论了采用锥–螺旋状电极放电时电极内部自磁场、阴阳电极间的相对位置关系、螺旋状阳极的内径等因素对真空放电等离子体生成特性的影响,并通过朗缪尔探针法对相应条件下的真空放电等离子体参数进行了测量分析。实验与仿真结果表明:利用放电时电流流过螺旋状电极所产生的轴向磁场,可以有效约束部分向四周扩散的等离子体,增大了到达探针位置的等离子体密度;合理优化螺旋状放电阳极,可以增大电极内部的磁场强度,在电极轴向获得更高密度的金属等离子体。

车顶绝缘子绝缘薄弱域的形成及影响因素研究

随着空气湿度及固体污秽等因素的影响,动车组车顶绝缘子表面存在的局部沿面放电会给列车运行安全造成严重威胁.依据有限元分析法,建立了25kV动车组车顶绝缘子流场及电场的三维模型,研究了高速气流、水珠及固体污秽对车顶绝缘子绝缘薄弱域形成的影响规律.结果表明:绝缘子表面气流速度较高、气压较低的侧风面及背风面区域容易发生局部沿面放电.当绝缘子表面附着雨滴和固体污秽后,表面电场发生了畸变,水珠周围局部电场强度增大;当水珠局部电场强度较大区域附着固体污秽时,水珠-污秽-空气-硅橡胶结合处形成新的绝缘薄弱域.

Study on the plasma generation characteristics of an induction-triggered coaxial pulsed plasma thruster

At present,spark plugs are used to trigger discharge in pulsed plasma thrusters（PPT）,which are known to be life-limiting components due to plasma corrosion and carbon deposition.A strong electric field could be formed in a cathode triple junction（CTJ） to achieve a trigger function under vacuum conditions.We propose an induction-triggered electrode structure on the basis of the CTJ trigger principle.The induction-triggered electrode structure could increase the electric field strength of the CTJ without changing the voltage between electrodes,contributing to a reduction in the electrode breakdown voltage.Additionally,it can maintain the plasma generation effect when the breakdown voltage is reduced in the discharge experiments.The induction-triggered electrode structure could ensure an effective trigger when the ablation distance of Teflon increases,and the magnetic field produced by the discharge current could further improve the plasma density and propagation velocity.The induction-triggered coaxial PPT we propose has a simplified trigger structure,and it is an effective attempt to optimize the micro-satellite thruster.

Influence of non-uniform electric field distribution on the atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge

The dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)in air at atmospheric pressure is not suitable for industrial applications due to its randomly distributed discharge filaments.In this paper,the influence of the electric field distribution on the uniformity of DBD is theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified.It is found that a certain degree of uneven electric field distributions can control the development of electron avalanches and regulate their transition to streamers in the gap.The discharge phenomena and electrical characteristics prove that an enhanced Townsend discharge can be formed in atmospheric-pressure air with a curved-plate electrode.The spectral analysis further confirms that the gas temperature of the plasma produced by the curved-plate electrode is close to room temperature,which is beneficial for industrial applications.This paper presents the relationship between the electron avalanche transition and the formation of a uniform DBD,which can provide some references for the development and applications of the DBD in the future.

Generation characteristics of a metal ion plasma jet in vacuum discharge

To improve the performance of a metal ion plasma jet in vacuum discharge, an anode-insulated cone-cylinder electrode with insulating sleeve is proposed in this paper. Discharge characteristics and generation characteristics of plasma of the electrode are investigated, effects of diameter of insulating sleeve, variety of cathode material and length of the insulating sleeve on characteristics of metal ion plasma jet are discussed. Results indicate that a directional and steady plasma jet is formed by using the novel electrode with insulating sleeve under high vacuum conditions. Moreover, the properties of metal ion plasma jet are improved by using the aluminum cathode and thin and long insulating sleeve. The study provides strong support for research of vacuum metal ion plasma thruster and ion implantation technology.

Influence of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(MXene)on the generation of dielectric barrier discharge in air

The formation of homogeneous dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)in air is a key scientific problem and core technical problem to be solved for the application of plasmas.Here,we report the effect of two-dimensional(2D)nanomaterial Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)(Tx=-F,-O and/or-OH)on regulating the electrical discharge characteristics.The field emission and weak bound state property of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)can effectively increase the seed electrons and contribute to the generation of atmospheric pressure homogeneous air DBD.The electron avalanche development for the uneven electrode structure is calculated,and the discharge mode transition is modeled.The comparative analyses of discharge phenomena validate the regulation of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)on the discharge characteristics of DBD.The light emission capture and the voltage and current waveforms verify that the transition of Townsend discharge to streamer discharge is effectively inhibited.The optical emission spectra are used to characterize the plasma and confirm that it is in a non-equilibrium state and the gas temperature is at room temperature.This is the first exploration of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)on the regulation of electrical discharge characteristics as far as we know.This work proves the feasibility of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)as a source of seed electrons to form homogeneous DBD,establishing a preliminary foundation for promoting the application of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma.