High performance micromachining of sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA)using GHz burst mode femtosecond pulses

GHz burst-mode femtosecond(fs)laser,which emits a series of pulse trains with extremely short intervals of several hundred picoseconds,provides distinct characteristics in materials processing as compared with the conventional irradiation scheme of fs laser(single-pulse mode).In this paper,we take advantage of the moderate pulse interval of 205 ps(4.88 GHz)in the burst pulse for high-quality and high-efficiency micromachining of single crystalline sapphire by laser induced plasma assisted ablation(LIPAA).Specifically,the preceding pulses in the burst generate plasma by ablation of copper placed behind the sapphire substrate,which interacts with the subsequent pulses to induce ablation at the rear surface of sapphire substrates.As a result,not only the ablation quality but also the ablation efficiency and the fabrication resolution are greatly improved compared to the other schemes including single-pulse mode fs laser direct ablation,single-pulse mode fs-LIPAA,and nanosecond-LIPAA.

Laser-assisted ablation and plasma formation of titanium explored by LIBS,QCM, optical microscopy and SEM analyses along with mechanical modifications under different pressures of Ar and Ne

This study deals with the investigation of Nd:YAG laser-assisted ablation and plasma formation of Ti at irradiance of 0.85 GW cm-2 under Ar and Ne environment at various pressures ranging from 10-120 Torr.Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy is used to evaluate plasma parameters,whereas quartz crystal microbalance is used for ablation yield measurements.The crater depth is evaluated by optical microscopy.The surface features are explored by scanning electron microscope(SEM) analysis and the micro-hardness is measured by a Vickers hardness tester.It is observed that the plasma parameters are higher in Ar than in Ne,and are strongly correlated with the ablation yield,ablation depth,surface features and hardness of laser-ablated Ti.These parameters increase with increasing the pressure of environmental gases,attain their maxima at 40 Torr for Ar and at 60 Torr for Ne.Afterwards,they show a decreasing trend up till a maximum pressure of 120 Torr.The maximum value of the electron temperature(Te) is5480 K,number density(ne) is 1.46 × 1018 cm-3,ablation depth is 184 μm,ablation yield is3.9 × 1015 atoms/pulse and hardness is 300 HV in the case of Ar atmosphere.SEM analysis reveals the growth of surface features,such as cones,ridges and pores,whose appearance is more distinct in Ar than Ne and is attributed to temperature,pressure and density gradients along with recoil pressure of the Ti plasma.

Experimental Research of Inactivation Effect of Low-Temperature Plasma on Bacteria

The killing logarithms index in killing a vegetative form in an explosure of about 90s and a spore in an explosure of about 120s, by using a low-temperature plasma produced by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD）, reached 5. The speed in killing the strains tested, by using a low-temperature plasma, was the highest with E. Coli, then S. Aureus and B. Subtilis var niger spore. The results of the scanning electron microscope showed that the low-temperature plasma destroyed the outer structure of the bacteria and that the vegetative form was more susceptible to the inactivation effect of the low-temperature plasma than was the spore. This indicated that the effects of the high voltage and high velocity particle flow, in plasma, penetrating through the outer structure of the bacteria might play a dominant role during the inactivation of the bacteria.

Simulations of hot electron transport in radiation-ablated plasma

The transport of hot electrons in inertial confinement fusion(ICF)is integrated issue due to the coupling of hydrodynamic evolution and many physical processes.A hot electron transport code is developed and coupled with the radiation hydrodynamic code MULTI1D in this study.Using the code,the slowing-down process and ablation process of the hot electron beam are simulated.The ablation pressure scaling law of hot electron beam is confirmed in our simulations.The hot electron transport is simulated in the radiation-ablated plasmas relevant to indirect-drive ICF,where the spatial profile of hot electron energy deposition is presented around the shock compressed region.It is shown that the hot electron can prominently increase the total ablation pressure in the early phase of radiation-ablated plasma.So,our study suggests that a potential-driven symmetric mechanism may occur under the irradiation of asymmetric hot electron beam.The possible degradation from the hot electron transport and preheating is also discussed.

Surface Modification of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) Membranes by Low-Temperature Plasma with Grafting Styrene

In order to control the surface pore sizes of polyvinylidene fluoride membranes and their distribution, low temperature plasma-induced grafting modifications of PVDF were studied to prepare hydrophobe membranes. By argon （Ar） treating and subsequent grafting reaction, a hydrophobe monomer, styrene, was introduced into the PVDF membrane. Fourier transform infrared attenuated total reflection （FTIR-ATR） was utilized to characterize the chemical and physical changes in the Ar plasma modified membrane. The surface modifications of PVDF membranes were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）. The water permeability and the solute rejection were measured by PVDF membrane modified in different graft conditions. Results demonstrated that the pores in the modified membranes get smaller and the distribution of pores gets narrowed with the increase in grafting reaction duration. Longer graft time caused the water flux of PVDF membrane to decrease from 578 kg/（m^2· h） to 23 kg/（m^2· h） and the solute rejection to increase from 73% to 92%.

Investigation on plasma characteristics in a laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster by optical emission spectroscopy

In order to further improve the propulsion performance of pulsed plasma thrusters for space micro propulsion,a novel laser ablation pulsed plasma thruster is proposed,which separated the laser ablation and electromagnetic acceleration.Optical emission spectroscopy is utilized to investigate the plasma characteristics in the thruster.The spectral lines at different times,positions and discharge intensities are experimentally recorded,and the plasma characteristics in the discharge channel are concluded through analyzing the variation of spectral lines.With the discharge energy of 24 J,laser energy of 0.6 J and the use of aluminum propellant,the specific impulse and thrust efficiency reach 6808 s and 70.6%,respectively.

Low-temperature Plasma Promotes Fibroblast Proliferation in Wound Healing by ROS-activated NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Low-temperature plasma(LTP)has shown great promise in wound healing,although the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood.In the present study,an argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet was employed to treat L929 murine fibroblasts cultured in vitro and skin wounds in BALB/c mice.The in vitro analysis revealed that treatment of fibroblasts with LTP for 15 s resulted in a significant increase in cell proliferation,secretion of epidermal growth factor(EGF)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),production of intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS),and the percentage of cells in S phase,protein expression of phosphorylated p65(P-p65)and cyclin D1,but a noted decrease in the protein expression of inhibitor kappa B(IκB).The in vivo experiments demonstrated that 30-s LTP treatment enhanced the number of fibroblasts and the ability of collagen synthesis,while 50-s treatment led to the opposite outcomes.These results suggested that LTP treatment promotes the fibroblast proliferation in wound healing by inducing the generation of ROS,upregulating the expression of P-p65,downregulating the expression of IκB,and activating the NF-κB signaling pathway and consequently altering cell cycle progression(increased DNA synthesis in S phage).

Design and characteristics investigation of a miniature low-temperature plasma spark discharge device

Atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma is a promising tool in biomedicine applications including blood coagulation,bacterial inactivation,sterilization,and cancer treatment,due to its high chemical activity and limited thermal damage.It is of great importance to develop portable plasma sources that are safe to human touch and suitable for outdoor and household operation.In this work,a portable and rechargeable low-temperature plasma spark discharge device(130 mm×80 mm×35 mm,300 g)was designed.The discharge frequency and plume length were optimized by the selection of resistance,capacitance,electrode gap,and ground electrode aperture.Results show that the spark plasma plume is generated with a length of 12 mm and a frequency of 10 Hz at a capacitance of 0.33μF.resistance of 1 MΩ,electrode gap of 2 mm,and ground electrode aperture of 1.5 mm.Biological tests indicate that the plasma produced by this device contains abundant reactive species,which can be applied in plasma biomedicine,including daily sterilization and wound healing.

Low-Temperature Plasma Induced Grafting of 2-Methacryloyloxyethyl Phosphorylcholine onto Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) Films

Modification of poly(tetrafluoroethylene)(PTFE) films with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine(MPC) was performed by low-temperature plasma treatment and grafting polymerization.Surface properties of PTFE were characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR) spectra,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) ,and static contact angle.The results show that MPC has been grafted onto PTFE film surface successfully.Contact angle for the modified PTFE films in the water decreased from 108°to 58.25°,while surface energy increased from 17.52 mN/m to 45.47 mN/m.The effects of plasma treatment time,monomer concentration and grafting time on degree of grafting were determined.In the meanwhile,blood compatibility of the PTFE films was studied by checking thrombogenic time of blood plasma.

Sensitivity of two drug-resistant bacteria to low-temperature air plasma in catheterassociated urinary tract infections under different environments

The high incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections,which are dominated by drugresistant bacteria,has attracted an increasing number of researchers interested in solving this public health problem.The purpose of this study was to explore the killing effect of lowtemperature air plasma(LTAP)on extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and high level gentamycin resistance enterococci under two simulated environments in vitro.The results showed that the survival rate of these two kinds of bacteria decreased to less than20%after being treated by LTAP in different environments for 5 min.A comparison of the LTAP treatments showed that the killing efficacy of the two kinds of bacteria in the early stage(0-1 min)was up to 50%.Moreover,the results of transmission electron microscopy,reactive nitrogen species measurement,and a temperature test indicated that the bactericidal effect of the LTAP treatment on the two kinds of bacteria worked through the destruction of the ribosome and other organelles inside the bacteria,rather than the thermal effect,to achieve sterilization.

Destruction of Gaseous Styrene with a Low-Temperature Plasma Induced by a Tubular Multilayer Dielectric Barrier Discharge

The destruction of gaseous styrene was studied using a low-temperature plasma induced by tubular multilayer dielectric barrier discharge（DBD）.The results indicate that the applied voltage,gas flow rate,inlet styrene concentration and reactor configuration play important roles in styrene removal efficiency （ηstyrene） and energy yield（EY）.Values of ηstyrene and EY reached 96%and 15567 mg/kWh when the applied voltage,gas flow rate,inlet styrene concentration and layers of quartz tubes were set at 10.8 kV,5.0 m/s,229 mg/m^3 and 5 layers,respectively.A qualitative analysis of the byproducts and a detailed discussion of the reaction mechanism are also presented.The results could facilitate industrial applications of the new DBD reactor for waste gas treatment.

Remove of Phenolic Compounds in Water by Low-Temperature Plasma: A Review of Current Research

Phenolic compounds have very strong toxicity, so it has been paid sharply attention to find an effective way of controlling the wastewater containing phenolic compounds. The work on this subject done by domestic and overseas scholars is studied in this paper, and the progress of researches on low-temperature plasma treatment is summarized through the electrical discharge types, mechanism, kinetics of phenolic compounds decomposition and combination of several methods with low-temperature plasma treatment. In addition, the crucial problem and the developing tendency on low-temperature plasma treatment for phenol-bearing wastewater are briefly discussed.

Different Ablation Models for the Wall-plasma Interaction Process in Pulsed Plasma Thruster

Ablation excited by current pulses is a very critical physical process in pulse plasma thrusters(PPT).Its effects on wall-plasma interaction directly determine the PPT performances.In order to reveal the process of the ablated wall interaction with the discharge plasma in PPT,ablation models formulated by three different boundary conditions at the wall-plasma interface are studied.These are the two widely used high-speed evaporation models(Model-L and Model-M),and the recently developed Keida-Zaghloul model(Model-K)of the Knudsen layer that takes into account the internal degrees of freedom on the energy flux conservation.First,fundamental mechanisms of the three ablation models are clarified by comparative analysis in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the wall-plasma interaction.Then,the applicability of different ablation models with the numerical solutions of LES-6 PPT is investigated in detail using magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)modeling.Results show that Model-L and Model-M are actually special cases of Model-K when a simplified jump conditions limited by high velocity at the vapor/plasma interface is used;A ratio of ablation rate in Model-L to that in Model-M is about 0.8at the same wall surface temperature,while it rises to 1 at different surface temperature determined by Model-L and Model-M in PPT.Even though Model-K solution requires significant computational time,it shows more accurate ablation feature for the wall-plasma interaction and possesses better computing precision of impulse bit during post-pulse which is useful for future studies of the late time ablation.

Reactions of Laser Ablation-magnesium Plasma with Methanol Clusters

The laser ablation-molecular beam（LA-MB） method is useful for studying the reactions of metal ions with molecular clusters. Reactions of magnesium plasma with methanol clusters were studied by using this method. A specially designed reaction cell was used as a fast flow reactor operated under thermal conditions, and the reaction products were measured with a time-of-flight（TOF） mass spectrometer. Surprisingly, several series of cluster ions with complex sizes and intensity distributions were obtained when the laser ablating was applied to different parts of the molecular beam. In the front part of the molecular beam, strong Mg^＋ （CH3OH）n（ n = 0-5） and weak H^＋ （CH3OH）n（ n = 0-5 ） cluster ions were observed with relatively small cluster sizes ; in the middle part of the molecular beam, the main cluster ions were H^＋ （ CH3OH）n （ n = 6-17 ） and H^＋（ H2O） 2 （ CH3OH）n（ n = 6-17 ） with a relatively large cluster size and a weak intensity; in the back part of the molecular beam, two new series of cluster ions, MgO^＋ （ H2O） （ CH3 OH）n（ n = 6-10 ） and MgOCH3^＋ （ CH3OH）n（ n = 6-10）, were obtained and accompanied by weak H^＋（CH3OH）n（n = 4-7） and H^＋（ H2O）2 （CH3OH）n（ n = 3-6）. The formation mechanisms and speed characteristics of the cluster ions are discussed in this article.

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma-assisted catalytic ammonia synthesis:synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74 catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma

Ammonia is one of the most important chemical raw materials in both manufacture and life of human.Traditionally Haber-Bosch method for ammonia synthesis involves high temperature and high pressure conditions,leading to significant energy consumption and environmental pollution.Non-thermal plasma(NTP) is a promising alternative approach to ammonia synthesis at low temperature and atmospheric pressure.In this study,the synergistic effect of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge(np-DBD) and Ni-MOF-74 catalyst was investigated in ammonia synthesis by utilizing nitrogen and hydrogen as feedstock.The results demonstrated that the plasma catalytic-synthesis process parameters play a crucial role in the synthesis process of ammonia.The highest ammonia synthesis rate of 5145.16 μmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1)with an energy efficiency of 1.27 g·kWh^(-1)was observed in the presence of the Ni-MOF-74 catalyst,which was3.7 times higher than that without Ni-MOF-74 catalyst.The synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma was explored by in-situ plasma discharge diagnostics.

Investigations on MoS_(2)plasma by infra-red pulsed laser irradiation in high vacuum

MoS_(2)targets were irradiated by infra-red(IR)pulsed laser in a high vacuum to determine hot plasma parameters,atomic,molecular and ion emission,and angular and charge state distributions.In this way,pulsed laser deposition(PLD)of thin films on graphene oxide substrates was also realized.An Nd:YAG laser,operating at the 1064 nm wavelength with a 5 ns pulse duration and up to a 1 J pulse energy,in a single pulse or at a 10 Hz repetition rate,was employed.Ablation yield was measured as a function of the laser fluence.Plasma was characterized using different analysis techniques,such as time-of-flight measurements,quadrupole mass spectrometry and fast CCD visible imaging.The so-produced films were characterized by composition,thickness,roughness,wetting ability,and morphology.When compared to the MoS_(2)targets,they show a slight decrease of S with respect to Mo,due to higher ablation yield,low fusion temperature and high sublimation in vacuum.The pulsed IR laser deposited Mo Sx(with 1<x<2)films are uniform,with a thickness of about 130 nm,a roughness of about 50 nm and a higher wettability than the MoS_(2)targets.Some potential applications of the pulsed IR laser-deposited Mo Sx films are also presented and discussed.

Hybrid argon plasma coagulation for the treatment of Barrett’s esophagus:A prospective,multicenter study

BACKGROUND The incidence of Barrett’s esophagus(BE)in China is lower compared to the Western populations.Hence,studies conducted in the Chinese population has been limited.The current treatment options available for BE treatment includes argon plasma coagulation(APC),radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation,all with varying degrees of success.AIM To determine the efficacy and safety of HybridAPC in the treatment of BE.METHODS The study cohort consisted of patients with BE who underwent HybridAPC ablation treatment.These procedures were performed by seven endoscopists from different tertiary hospitals.The duration of the procedure,curative rate,complications and recurrent rate by 1-year follow-up were recorded.RESULTS Eighty individuals were enrolled for treatment from July 2017 to June 2020,comprising of 39 males and 41 females with a median age of 54 years(range,30 to 83 years).The technical success rate of HybridAPC was 100%and the overall curative rate was 98.15%.No severe complications occurred during the operation.BE cases were classified as short-segment BE and long-segment BE.Patients with short-segment BE were all considered cured without complications.Thirty-six patients completed the one-year follow-up without recurrence.Twenty-four percent had mild dysplasia which were all resolved with one post-procedural treatment.The mean duration of the procedure was 10.94±6.52 min.CONCLUSION Treatment of BE with HybridAPC was found to be a simple and quick procedure that is safe and effective during the short-term follow-up,especially in cases of short-segment BE.This technique could be considered as a feasible alternative ablation therapy for BE.

Experiment and Calculation for Expansion Process of Ablation Plasma Jets in Liquid

The expansion process of ablation plasma jet in liquid was experimentally investigated by using high speed digital camera. The sequential pictures show that, in the initial stage of the jet, the Taylor cavity expands in the axial and radial directions simultaneously, and then, is subjected to the constraint of chamber wall, in axial direction mainly. The maximum axial speed of the cavity's head ranges from 240m/s to 280m/s. Some strong heat conduction and mass transmission effects can be found in the surface of Taylor cavity, where the plasma cools down and condenses as solid particles while the liquid vaporizes as gas. Compared the expansion processes of the cavities among the different discharge energies and the nozzle diameters, it can be seen that the expansion speed of the cavity is directly proportional to the discharge energy and inversely to the nozzle diameter, and the effect of the discharge energy is stronger than that of the nozzle diameter. A set of equations describing the expansion process of ablation plasma jet was derived under the assumption of momentum conservation. The calculated results by use of the equations coincide with the experimented results better.

Evaluation of the intraoperative trauma degree and postoperative speech function of low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery treatment of children with OSAHS

Objective:To evaluate the intraoperative trauma degree and postoperative speech function of low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery treatment of children with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS).Methods: A total of 118 children with OSAHS were divided into the control group (n=59) who received general surgery and the observation group (n=59) who received the low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery according to the random number table. Before operation and 24 h after operation, serum levels of stress hormones, acute phase proteins and inflammatory markers of two groups of children were determined, and the speech function parameter levels were assessed.Results:Before operation, differences in serum contents of stress hormones, acute phase proteins and inflammatory factors as well as speech function parameter levels were not statistically significant between two groups of patients. 24 h after operation, serum stress hormones adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), angiotensin-2 (Ang-2), norepinephrine (NE), cortisol (Cor) contents of observation group were lower than those of control group, serum acute phase proteins haptoglobin (HP), ceruloplasmin (CER), and prealbumin (PA) contents were lower than those of control group, and serum inflammatory factors interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-27 (IL-27), tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α) contents were lower than those of control group;speech function parameters NNE and NHR levels of observation group were higher than those of control group.Conclusion:Compared with routine surgery, low-temperature plasma radiofrequency surgery treatment of children with OSAHS causes less surgical trauma and more greatly improves the postoperative speech level.

Continuous Emission Spectrum Measurement for Electron Temperature Determination in Low-Temperature Collisional Plasmas

Continuous emission spectrum measurement is applied for the inconvenient diagnos- tics of low-temperature collisional plasmas. According to the physical mechanism of continuous emission, a simplified model is presented to analyze the spectrum in low temperature plasma. The validity of this model is discussed in a wide range of discharge parameters, including electron tem- perature and ionization degree. Through the simplified model, the continuous emission spectrum in a collisional argon internal inductively coupled plasma is experimentally measured to determine the electron temperature distribution for different gas pressures and radio-frequency powers. The inverse Abel transform is also applied for a better spatially resoluted results. Meanwhile, the result of the continuous emission spectrum measurement is compared to that of the electrostatic double probes, which indicates the effectiveness of this method.