Investigation of atmospheric pressure plasma jet propagation on a dielectric surface using different shield gases

Improving [MN1] the atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) performance has always been an essential issue, which may be solved by altering plasma proces parameters, modifying jet configuration, controlling ambient conditions, and other approaches. This study investigates the significance of argon and nitrogen shield gases on the propagation behavior of an argon APPJ upon a quartz dielectric surface using various diagnostics methods by varying capillary-sample distance, shield gas type and flow rate. Comsol gas flow dynamic simulations and Schlieren imaging indicate that the argon distribution pattern differs when using argon or nitrogen shield gas. Furthermore, the I-V waveforms of the discharge suggest that an increase in argon shield gas flow rate results in a discharge power deviation. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) shows that using nitrogen shield gas only influences N₂ reactive species, while using argon enhances the intensity of all detected reactive species, especially in the remote distances from the plasma jet. These findings were in agreement with the fast intensified charge-couple device (ICCD) results, where it was observed that the size of the plasma propagation pattern and plasma branches are larger when increasing the argon shield gas flow rate. The outcomes of this study show that the employment of a shield gas could improve the plasma efficiency to achieve the desired plasma spreading on a treated surface.

 

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