Atmospheric Pressure Air Discharges and Their Applications*

Air, or a mixture of N2 and O2 plasma, is highly attractive for many applications due to the ease of access to the gases. However, the vibrational states of nitrogen and oxygen, along with the electronegativity of oxygen, pose significant challenges in generating non-equilibrium air plasmas, particularly air plasma jets. Additionally, achieving uniform air discharges at atmospheric pressure is another challenge due to the instability of ionization and heat. This paper initially discusses seven atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium air discharges, including a magnetic field-enhanced air plasma jet[1], a rotating electrode air plasma jet[2], three different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configurations with unequal gap distances[3-5], a uniform DBD with a 6 mm gap initiated from a narrow gap[6], a uniform DBD with a 10 mm gap based on a 3-electrode configuration[7], a magnetic field-stabilized plasma[8], and a discharge generated by falling liquid droplets[9]. Subsequently, two applications of air discharges are explored: plasma-activated ethanol solution for decontamination and plasma for nitrogen fixation [10, 11].

 

Reference

1) S. Jin, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu,  IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 51(1), 60-65 (2022)

2) Z. Li, J. Liu, X. Lu, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 29, 045015 (2020)

3) S. Jin, F. Zhao, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu, Plasma Process Polym. 9(9), 2200021 (2022)

4) Z. Li, S. Jin, Y. Xian, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 30, 065026 (2021)

5) S. Jin, Z. Li, Y. Xian, L. Nie, X. Lu,  High Voltage, 1-9 (2021)

6) J. Liu, Y. Yang, L. Nie, D. Liu and X. Lu, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 57, 275201 (2024)

7) Z. Li, D. Liu, X. Lu, L. Nie,  Plasma Sci. Technol. 25, 105402 (2023)

8) Z. Li, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu,  Plasma Process Polym. 19(12), 2200071 (2022)

9) J. Liu, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu.  Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. (2024)

10) Y. Li, J. Liu, F. Zhao, K. Song, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu,  High Voltage. 10, 1049 (2022)

11) Z. Li, L. Nie, D. Liu, X. Lu,  Plasma Process Polym. 19(12), 2200071 (2022)