On the use of pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges to control the gas-phase composition of atmospheric pressure air plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Barni, R.; Biganzoli, I.; Dell'Orto, E.; Riccardi, C.

2014-11-01

We presents results obtained from the numerical simulation of the gas-phase chemical kinetics in atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. In particular we have addressed the effect of pulsed operation mode of a plane dielectric barrier discharge. It was conjectured that the large difference in the time scales involved in the fast dissociation of oxygen molecules in plasma and their subsequent reactions to produce ozone and nitrogen oxides, makes the presence of a continuously repeated plasma production unnecessary and a waste of electrical power and thus efficiency. In order to test such suggestion we have performed a numerical study of the composition and the temporal evolution of the gas-phase of atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. Comparison with experimental findings in a dielectric barrier discharge with an electrode configuration symmetrical and almost ideally plane is briefly addressed too, using plasma diagnostics to extract the properties of the single micro-discharges and a sensor to measure the concentration of ozone produced by the plasma.

On the use of pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges to control the gas-phase composition of atmospheric pressure air plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barni, R; Biganzoli, I; Dell'Orto, E; Riccardi, C

2014-01-01

We presents results obtained from the numerical simulation of the gas-phase chemical kinetics in atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. In particular we have addressed the effect of pulsed operation mode of a plane dielectric barrier discharge. It was conjectured that the large difference in the time scales involved in the fast dissociation of oxygen molecules in plasma and their subsequent reactions to produce ozone and nitrogen oxides, makes the presence of a continuously repeated plasma production unnecessary and a waste of electrical power and thus efficiency. In order to test such suggestion we have performed a numerical study of the composition and the temporal evolution of the gas-phase of atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. Comparison with experimental findings in a dielectric barrier discharge with an electrode configuration symmetrical and almost ideally plane is briefly addressed too, using plasma diagnostics to extract the properties of the single micro-discharges and a sensor to measure the concentration of ozone produced by the plasma

Surface modification for biomedical purposes utilizing dielectric barrier discharges at atmospheric pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gessner, Cordula; Bartels, Volker; Betker, Tanja; Matucha, Ulrike; Penache, Cristina; Klages, Claus-Peter

2004-07-01

Using dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) at atmospheric pressure, glass or polymer surfaces were equipped with epoxide groups or amino groups by plasma deposition from suitable monomers or - in case of polymers - DBD treatment in nitrogen-containing gases. Functional group densities have been estimated using absorption and fluorescence measurements or by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Amino group densities are comparable or even larger than those of aminosilylated surfaces. Fluorescence-labeled streptavidin has been used to investigate the binding capacity of surfaces equipped with covalently bound biotin molecules, starting either from epoxide or from amino groups. As an example of a Plasma Printing process, the generation of an array amino-functionalized spots, 400-{mu}m in diameter on a polymer surface by local deposition from aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane is demonstrated.

Gene Transfection Method Using Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric-Barrier Discharge Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Shota; Kanzaki, Makoto; Kaneko, Toshiro

2013-09-01

Gene transfection which is the process of deliberately introducing nucleic acids into cells is expected to play an important role in medical treatment because the process is necessary for gene therapy and creation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. However, the conventional transfection methods have some problems, so we focus attention on promising transfection methods by atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharge (AP-DBD) plasmas. AP-DBD He plasmas are irradiated to the living cell covered with genes. Preliminarily, we use fluorescent dye YOYO-1 instead of the genes and use LIVE/DEAD Stain for cell viability test, and we analyze the transfection efficiency and cell viability under the various conditions. It is clarified that the transfection efficiency is strongly dependence on the plasma irradiation time and cell viability rates is high rates (>90%) regardless of long plasma irradiation time. These results suggest that ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) and electric field generated by the plasma affect the gene transfection. In addition to this (the plasma irradiation time) dependency, we now investigate the effect of the plasma irradiation under the various conditions.

Role of secondary emission on discharge dynamics in an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tay, W. H.; Kausik, S. S.; Yap, S. L.; Wong, C. S., E-mail: cswong@um.edu.my [Plasma Technology Research Centre, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2014-04-15

The discharge dynamics in an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is studied in a DBD reactor consisting of a pair of stainless steel parallel plate electrodes. The DBD discharge has been generated by a 50 Hz ac high voltage power source. The high-speed intensified charge coupled device camera is used to capture the images of filaments occurring in the discharge gap. It is observed that frequent synchronous breakdown of micro discharges occurs across the discharge gap in the case of negative current pulse. The experimental results reveal that secondary emissions from the dielectric surface play a key role in the synchronous breakdown of plasma filaments.

Statistical modelling of discharge behavior of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tay, W. H.; Kausik, S. S.; Wong, C. S., E-mail: cswong@um.edu.my; Yap, S. L.; Muniandy, S. V. [Plasma Technology Research Centre, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

2014-11-15

In this work, stochastic behavior of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been investigated. The experiment is performed in a DBD reactor consisting of a pair of stainless steel parallel plate electrodes powered by a 50 Hz ac high voltage source. Current pulse amplitude distributions for different space gaps and the time separation between consecutive current pulses are studied. A probability distribution function is proposed to predict the experimental distribution function for the current pulse amplitudes and the occurrence of the transition regime of the pulse distribution. Breakdown voltage at different positions on the dielectric surface is suggested to be stochastic in nature. The simulated results based on the proposed distribution function agreed well with the experimental results and able to predict the regime of transition voltage. This model would be useful for the understanding of stochastic behaviors of DBD and the design of DBD device for effective operation and applications.

Radial Distribution of the Nanosecond Dielectric Barrier Discharge Current in Atmospheric-Pressure Air

Science.gov (United States)

Malashin, M. V.; Moshkunov, S. I.; Khomich, V. Yu.; Shershunova, E. A.

2018-01-01

Experimental results on the radial distribution of the nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) current in flat millimeter air gaps under atmospheric pressure and natural humidity of 40-60% at a voltage rise rate at the electrodes of 250 V/ns are presented. The time delay of the appearance of discharge currents was observed to increase from the center to the periphery of the air gap at discharge gap heights above 3 mm, which correlated with the appearance of constricted channels against the background of the volume DBD plasma. Based on the criterion of the avalanche-streamer transition, it is found out that the development of a nanosecond DBD in air gaps of 1-3 mm occurs by the streamer mechanism.

Direct measurement of electron density in microdischarge at atmospheric pressure by Stark broadening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Lifang; Ran Junxia; Mao Zhiguo

2005-01-01

We present a method and results for measurement of electron density in atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge. The electron density of microdischarge in atmospheric pressure argon is measured by using the spectral line profile method. The asymmetrical deconvolution is used to obtain Stark broadening. The results show that the electron density in single filamentary microdischarge at atmospheric pressure argon is 3.05x10 15 cm -3 if the electron temperature is 10,000 K. The result is in good agreement with the simulation. The electron density in dielectric barrier discharge increases with the increase of applied voltage

Simulation Tool for Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators at Atmospheric and Sub-Atmospheric Pressures: SBIR Phase I Final Report

Science.gov (United States)

Likhanskii, Alexandre

2012-01-01

This report is the final report of a SBIR Phase I project. It is identical to the final report submitted, after some proprietary information of administrative nature has been removed. The development of a numerical simulation tool for dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator is reported. The objectives of the project were to analyze and predict DBD operation at wide range of ambient gas pressures. It overcomes the limitations of traditional DBD codes which are limited to low-speed applications and have weak prediction capabilities. The software tool allows DBD actuator analysis and prediction for subsonic to hypersonic flow regime. The simulation tool is based on the VORPAL code developed by Tech-X Corporation. VORPAL's capability of modeling DBD plasma actuator at low pressures (0.1 to 10 torr) using kinetic plasma modeling approach, and at moderate to atmospheric pressures (1 to 10 atm) using hydrodynamic plasma modeling approach, were demonstrated. In addition, results of experiments with pulsed+bias DBD configuration that were performed for validation purposes are reported.

Simulation study of one-dimensional self-organized pattern in an atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jiao; Wang, Yanhui, E-mail: wangyh@dlut.edu.cn; Wang, Dezhen, E-mail: wangdez@dlut.edu.cn [School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

2015-04-15

A two-dimensional fluid model is developed to simulate the one-dimensional self-organized patterns in an atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) driven by sinusoidal voltage in argon. Under certain conditions, by changing applied voltage amplitude, the transversely uniform discharge can evolve into the patterned discharge and the varied self-organized patterned discharges with different numbers and arrangements of discharge channels can be observed. Similar to the uniform atmospheric-pressure DBD, the patterned discharge mode is found to undergo a transition from Townsend regime, sub-glow regime to glow regime with increasing applied voltage amplitude. In the different regimes, charged particles and electric field display different dynamical behaviors. If the voltage amplitude is increased over a certain value, the discharge enters an asymmetric patterned discharge mode, and then transforms into the spatially chaotic state with out-of-order discharge channels. The reason for forming the one-dimensional self-organized pattern is mainly due to the so-called activation-inhibition effect resulting from the local high electron density region appearing in discharge space. Electrode arrangement is the reason that induces local high electron density.

Graphene Membranes for Atmospheric Pressure Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Weatherup, Robert S; Eren, Baran; Hao, Yibo; Bluhm, Hendrik; Salmeron, Miquel B

2016-05-05

Atmospheric pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is demonstrated using single-layer graphene membranes as photoelectron-transparent barriers that sustain pressure differences in excess of 6 orders of magnitude. The graphene serves as a support for catalyst nanoparticles under atmospheric pressure reaction conditions (up to 1.5 bar), where XPS allows the oxidation state of Cu nanoparticles and gas phase species to be simultaneously probed. We thereby observe that the Cu(2+) oxidation state is stable in O2 (1 bar) but is spontaneously reduced under vacuum. We further demonstrate the detection of various gas-phase species (Ar, CO, CO2, N2, O2) in the pressure range 10-1500 mbar including species with low photoionization cross sections (He, H2). Pressure-dependent changes in the apparent binding energies of gas-phase species are observed, attributable to changes in work function of the metal-coated grids supporting the graphene. We expect atmospheric pressure XPS based on this graphene membrane approach to be a valuable tool for studying nanoparticle catalysis.

Diagnosis of a short-pulse dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure in helium with hydrogen-methane admixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Nastuta, A. V.; Pohoata, V.; Mihaila, I.; Topala, I.

2018-04-01

In this study, we present results from electrical, optical, and spectroscopic diagnosis of a short-pulse (250 ns) high-power impulse (up to 11 kW) dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure running in a helium/helium-hydrogen/helium-hydrogen-methane gas mixture. This plasma source is able to generate up to 20 cm3 of plasma volume, pulsed in kilohertz range. The plasma spatio-temporal dynamics are found to be developed in three distinct phases. All the experimental observations reveal a similar dynamic to medium power microsecond barrier discharges, although the power per pulse and current density are up to two orders of magnitude higher than the case of microsecond barrier discharges. This might open the possibility for new applications in the field of gas or surface processing, and even life science. These devices can be used in laboratory experiments relevant for molecular astrophysics.

Atmospheric-pressure guided streamers for liposomal membrane disruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svarnas, P.; Aleiferis, Sp.; Matrali, S. H.; Gazeli, K.; Clément, F.; Antimisiaris, S. G.

2012-01-01

The potential to use liposomes (LIPs) as a cellular model in order to study interactions of cold atmospheric-pressure plasma with cells is herein investigated. Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma is formed by a dielectric-barrier discharge reactor. Large multilamellar vesicle liposomes, consisted of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, are prepared by the thin film hydration technique, to encapsulate a small hydrophilic dye, i.e., calcein. The plasma-induced release of calcein from liposomes is then used as a measure of liposome membrane integrity and, consequently, interaction between the cold atmospheric plasma and lipid bilayers. Physical mechanisms leading to membrane disruption are suggested, based on the plasma characterization including gas temperature calculation.

Reel-to-Reel Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD Plasma Treatment of Polypropylene Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lukas JW Seidelmann

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of the surface of a polypropylene film can significantly increase its surface energy and, thereby improve the printability of the film. A laboratory-scale dielectric barrier discharge (DBD system has therefore been developed, which simulates the electrode configuration and reel-to-reel web transport mechanism used in a typical industrial-scale system. By treating the polypropylene in a nitrogen discharge, we have shown that the water contact angle could be reduced by as much as 40° compared to the untreated film, corresponding to an increase in surface energy of 14 mNm−1. Ink pull-off tests showed that the DBD plasma treatment resulted in excellent adhesion of solvent-based inks to the polypropylene film.

Investigation of the characteristics of atmospheric pressure surface barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Rui; Zhan Rujuan; Wen Xiaohui; Wang Lei

2003-01-01

Experiments were performed on atmospheric pressure surface barrier discharges. Two types of panels were used. Both have pectinate high voltage electrodes on their upper surface, but the difference is that in type I, the grounded electrode consists of the same pectinate electrodes on the lower surface, whereas type II has an extended grounded plane electrode on the lower surface. The excitation temperature was determined from a Fermi-Dirac model and a temperature near 0.7 eV is obtained. The electron density was estimated from an electrical conductivity approach (Ohmic heating model) - an equivalent circuit model is proposed and the electron density is found to be of the order of 10 11 cm -3 . The electrical behaviour was studied, and it was found that the average power consumed in the discharge plasma increases with increasing strip width in the type I discharge, whereas it remains almost constant with increasing strip width in the type II discharge. The average discharge power remains almost constant with variation in the strip-to-strip distance. The type II discharge consumes much higher average discharge power than type I. We also find that panels with a larger height of high voltage electrodes can generate brighter and thicker discharge plasmas. The equivalent circuit model was used to interpret these phenomena

Influence of the voltage polarity on the properties of a nanosecond surface barrier discharge in atmospheric-pressure air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nudnova, M. M.; Aleksandrov, N. L.; Starikovskii, A. Yu.

2010-01-01

The properties of a surface barrier discharge in atmospheric-pressure air at different polarities of applied voltage were studied experimentally. The influence of the voltage polarity on the spatial structure of the discharge and the electric field in the discharge plasma was determined by means of spectroscopic measurements. It is found that the energy deposited in the discharge does not depend on the voltage polarity and that discharges of positive polarity are more homogenous and the electric fields in them are higher.

Production of atmospheric pressure diffuse nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge using the array needles-plate electrode in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Dezheng; Wang Wenchun; Jia Li; Nie Dongxia; Shi Hengchao

2011-01-01

In this paper, a bidirectional high pulse voltage with 20 ns rising time is employed to generate an atmospheric pressure diffuse dielectric barrier discharge using the array needles-plate electrode configuration. Both double needle and multiple needle electrode configurations nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharges are investigated. It is found that a diffuse discharge plasma with low gas temperature can be obtained, and the plasma volume increases with the increase of the pulse peak voltage, but remains almost constant with the increase of the pulse repetition rate. In addition to showing the potential application on a topographically nonuniform surface treatment of the discharge, the multiple needle-plate electrode configuration with different needle-plate electrode gaps are also employed to generate diffuse discharge plasma.

Atmospheric pressure plasma surface modification of carbon fibres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Løgstrup Andersen, Tom; Michelsen, Poul

2008-01-01

Carbon fibres are continuously treated with dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure in various gas conditions for adhesion improvement in mind. An x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis indicated that oxygen is effectively introduced onto the carbon fibre surfaces by He, He...

Atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge with capillary injection for gas-phase nanoparticle synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Souvik; Liu, Tianqi; Bilici, Mihai; Cole, Jonathan; Huang, I-Min; Sankaran, R Mohan; Staack, David; Mariotti, Davide

2015-01-01

We present an atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor for gas-phase nanoparticle synthesis. Nickel nanoparticles are synthesized by homogenous nucleation from nickelocene vapor and characterized online by aerosol mobility measurements. The effects of residence time and precursor concentration on particle growth are studied. We find that narrower distributions of smaller particles are produced by decreasing the precursor concentration, in agreement with vapor nucleation theory, but larger particles and aggregates form at higher gas flow rates where the mean residence time should be reduced, suggesting a cooling effect that leads to enhanced particle nucleation. In comparison, incorporating a capillary gas injector to alter the velocity profile is found to significantly reduce particle size and agglomeration. These results suggest that capillary gas injection is a better approach to decreasing the mean residence time and narrowing the residence time distribution for nanoparticle growth by producing a sharp and narrow velocity profile. (paper)

Atmospheric pressure plasma produced inside a closed package by a dielectric barrier discharge in Ar/CO2 for bacterial inactivation of biological samples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chiper, Alina Silvia; Chen, Weifeng; Mejlholm, Ole

2011-01-01

The generation and evaluation of a dielectric barrier discharge produced inside a closed package made of a commercially available packaging film and filled with gas mixtures of Ar/CO2 at atmospheric pressure is reported. The discharge parameters were analysed by electrical measurements and optical...... emission spectroscopy in two modes of operation: trapped gas atmosphere and flowing gas atmosphere. Gas temperature was estimated using the OH(A–X) emission spectrum and the rotational temperature reached a saturation level after a few minutes of plasma running. The rotational temperature was almost three...

Experimental investigation on large-area dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric nitrogen and air assisted by the ultraviolet lamp.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Gu, Biao; Wang, Wenchun; Wang, Dezhen; Peng, Xuwen

2009-04-01

In this paper, ultraviolet radiation produced by the ultraviolet lamp is employed to supply pre-ionization for the dielectric barrier discharge in N(2) or air at atmospheric pressure. The effect of the ultraviolet pre-ionization on improving the uniformity of the dielectric barrier discharge is investigated experimentally. The atmospheric pressure glow discharge of the large area (270 mm x 120 mm) is obtained successfully via the ultraviolet pre-ionization in atmospheric DBD in N(2) when the gas gap decrease to 3mm. Based on the emission spectra, the mechanism which ultraviolet pre-ionization improves the uniformity of the dielectric barrier discharge is discussed.

Effect of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma and Subsequent Enzymatic Treatment on Flax Fabrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Shaofeng; Yang Bin; Ou Qiongrong

2015-01-01

The objective is to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) plasma and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment on the properties of flax fabrics. The changes of surface morphology and structure, physico-mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, bending properties, whiteness, and dyeing properties of the treated substrate were investigated. The results indicated that atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma pre-treatment and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment could diminish the hairiness of flax fabrics, endowing the flax fabrics with good bending properties, water uptake and fiber accessibility while keeping their good mechanical properties compared with those treated with cellulase enzyme alone. (paper)

Electron dynamics and plasma jet formation in a helium atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Algwari, Q. Th. [Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Maths and Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); Electronic Department, College of Electronics Engineering, Mosul University, Mosul 41002 (Iraq); O' Connell, D. [Centre for Plasma Physics, School of Maths and Physics, Queen' s University Belfast, University Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT7 1NN (United Kingdom); York Plasma Institute, Department of Physics, University of York, York YO10 5DD (United Kingdom)

2011-09-19

The excitation dynamics within the main plasma production region and the plasma jets of a kHz atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) jet operated in helium was investigated. Within the dielectric tube, the plasma ignites as a streamer-type discharge. Plasma jets are emitted from both the powered and grounded electrode end; their dynamics are compared and contrasted. Ignition of these jets are quite different; the jet emitted from the powered electrode is ignited with a slight time delay to plasma ignition inside the dielectric tube, while breakdown of the jet at the grounded electrode end is from charging of the dielectric and is therefore dependent on plasma production and transport within the dielectric tube. Present streamer theories can explain these dynamics.

Surface cleaning of metal wire by atmospheric pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, T.; Buttapeng, C.; Furuya, S.; Harada, N.

2009-01-01

In this study, the possible application of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma for the annealing of metallic wire is examined and presented. The main purpose of the current study is to examine the surface cleaning effect for a cylindrical object by atmospheric pressure plasma. The experimental setup consists of a gas tank, plasma reactor, and power supply with control panel. The gas assists in the generation of plasma. Copper wire was used as an experimental cylindrical object. This copper wire was irradiated with the plasma, and the cleaning effect was confirmed. The result showed that it is possible to remove the tarnish which exists on the copper wire surface. The experiment reveals that atmospheric pressure plasma is usable for the surface cleaning of metal wire. However, it is necessary to examine the method for preventing oxidization of the copper wire.

Ultrasound enhanced plasma surface modification at atmospheric pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Singh, Shailendra Vikram; Norrman, Kion

and the material surface, and thus many reactive species generated in the plasma can reach the surface before inactivated, and be efficiently utilized for surface modification. In the present work polyester plates are treated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and a gliding arc at atmospheric pressure......Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment can be highly enhanced by simultaneous high-power ultrasonic irradiation onto the treating surface. It is because ultrasonic waves with a sound pressure level (SPL) above approximately 140 dB can reduce the thickness of a boundary gas layer between the plasma...... irradiation, the water contact angle dropped markedly, and tended to decrease furthermore at higher power. The ultrasonic irradiation during the plasma treatment consistently improved the wettability. Oxygen containing polar functional groups were introduced at the surface by the plasma treatment...

Treatment of poly(ethylene terephthalate) foils by atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge and its influence on cell growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuzminova, Anna [Department of Macromolecular Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovickách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Vandrovcová, Marta [Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Prague 4 (Czech Republic); Shelemin, Artem [Department of Macromolecular Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovickách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Kylián, Ondřej, E-mail: ondrej.kylian@gmail.com [Department of Macromolecular Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovickách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Choukourov, Andrei; Hanuš, Jan [Department of Macromolecular Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovickách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic); Bačáková, Lucie [Institute of Physiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20 Prague 4 (Czech Republic); Slavínská, Danka; Biederman, Hynek [Department of Macromolecular Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, V Holešovickách 2, 180 00 Praha 8 (Czech Republic)

2015-12-01

Highlights: • Effect of atmospheric pressure DBD plasma on PET foils was investigated. • DBD treatment causes increase in surface density of O-containing functional groups. • DBD plasma causes increase of wettability, roughness and complex modulus of PET. • DBD treatment positively influences cells growth on PET. • Enhancement of cell growth on treated PET depends on the cell type. - Abstract: In this contribution an effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) sustained in air at atmospheric pressure on surface properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils is studied. It is found that exposure of PET to DBD plasma leads to rapid changes of surface chemical composition, wettability, surface morphology as well as mechanical properties of PET surface. In addition, based on biological tests that were performed using two cell types (Saos-2 human osteoblast-like cells and HUVEC human umbilical vein endothelial cells), it may be concluded that DBD plasma treatment positively influences cell growth on PET. This effect was found to be connected predominantly with increased surface energy and oxygen content of the surface of treated PET foils.

Effects of N2O and O2 addition to nitrogen Townsend dielectric barrier discharges at atmospheric pressure on the absolute ground-state atomic nitrogen density

KAUST Repository

Es-sebbar, Et-touhami; Gherardi, Nicolas; Massines, Franç oise

2012-01-01

Absolute ground-state density of nitrogen atoms N (2p3 4S3/2) in non-equilibrium Townsend dielectric barrier discharges (TDBDs) at atmospheric pressure sustained in N2/N2O and N2/O2 gas mixtures has been measured using Two-photon absorption laser

Generation of high-power-density atmospheric pressure plasma with liquid electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dong Lifang; Mao Zhiguo; Yin Zengqian; Ran Junxia

2004-01-01

We present a method for generating atmospheric pressure plasma using a dielectric barrier discharge reactor with two liquid electrodes. Four distinct kinds of discharge, including stochastic filaments, regular square pattern, glow-like discharge, and Turing stripe pattern, are observed in argon with a flow rate of 9 slm. The electrical and optical characteristics of the device are investigated. Results show that high-power-density atmospheric pressure plasma with high duty ratio in space and time can be obtained. The influence of wall charges on discharge power and duty ratio has been discussed

Adhesion improvement of fibres by continuous plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Løgstrup Andersen, Tom; Sørensen, Bent F.

2013-01-01

Carbon fibres and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres were continuously treated by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure for adhesion improvement with epoxy resins. The plasma treatment improved wettability, increased the oxygen containing polar...

Ionization asymmetry effects on the properties modulation of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge sustained by tailored voltage waveforms

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Z. L.; Nie, Q. Y.; Zhang, X. N.; Wang, Z. B.; Kong, F. R.; Jiang, B. H.; Lim, J. W. M.

2018-04-01

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a promising technology to generate high density and uniform cold plasmas in atmospheric pressure gases. The effective independent tuning of key plasma parameters is quite important for both application-focused and fundamental studies. In this paper, based on a one-dimensional fluid model with semi-kinetics treatment, numerical studies of ionization asymmetry effects on the properties modulation of atmospheric DBD sustained by tailored voltage waveforms are reported. The driving voltage waveform is characterized by an asymmetric-slope fundamental sinusoidal radio frequency signal superimposing one or more harmonics, and the effects of the number of harmonics, phase shift, as well as the fluctuation of harmonics on the sheath dynamics, impact ionization of electrons and key plasma parameters are investigated. The results have shown that the electron density can exhibit a substantial increase due to the effective electron heating by a spatially asymmetric sheath structure. The strategic modulation of harmonics number and phase shift is capable of raising the electron density significantly (e.g., nearly three times in this case), but without a significant increase in the gas temperature. Moreover, by tailoring the fluctuation of harmonics with a steeper slope, a more profound efficiency in electron impact ionization can be achieved, and thus enhancing the electron density effectively. This method then enables a novel alternative approach to realize the independent control of the key plasma parameters under atmospheric pressure.

Atmospheric pressure plasma produced inside a closed package by a dielectric barrier discharge in Ar/CO2 for bacterial inactivation of biological samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiper, A S; Chen, W; Stamate, E; Mejlholm, O; Dalgaard, P

2011-01-01

The generation and evaluation of a dielectric barrier discharge produced inside a closed package made of a commercially available packaging film and filled with gas mixtures of Ar/CO 2 at atmospheric pressure is reported. The discharge parameters were analysed by electrical measurements and optical emission spectroscopy in two modes of operation: trapped gas atmosphere and flowing gas atmosphere. Gas temperature was estimated using the OH(A-X) emission spectrum and the rotational temperature reached a saturation level after a few minutes of plasma running. The rotational temperature was almost three times higher in the Ar/CO 2 plasma compared with an Ar plasma. The efficiency of the produced plasma for the inactivation of bacteria on food inside the closed package was investigated.

Generation of reactive species in atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge with liquid water

Science.gov (United States)

Zelong, ZHANG; Jie, SHEN; Cheng, CHENG; Zimu, XU; Weidong, XIA

2018-04-01

Atmospheric pressure helium/water dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is used to investigate the generation of reactive species in a gas-liquid interface and in a liquid. The emission intensity of the reactive species is measured by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) with different discharge powers at the gas-liquid interface. Spectrophotometry is used to analyze the reactive species induced by the plasma in the liquid. The concentration of OH radicals reaches 2.2 μm after 3 min of discharge treatment. In addition, the concentration of primary long-lived reactive species such as H2O2, {{{{NO}}}3}- and O3 are measured based on plasma treatment time. After 5 min of discharge treatment, the concentration of H2O2, {{{{NO}}}3}-, and O3 increased from 0 mg · L-1 to 96 mg · L-1, 19.5 mg · L-1, and 3.5 mg · L-1, respectively. The water treated by plasma still contained a considerable concentration of reactive species after 6 h of storage. The results will contribute to optimizing the DBD plasma system for biological decontamination.

On the regime transitions during the formation of an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier glow discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martens, T; Bogaerts, A; Brok, W J M; Van Dijk, J

2009-01-01

The atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in helium is a pulsed discharge in nature. If during the electrical current pulse a glow discharge is reached, then this pulse will last only a few microseconds in operating periods of sinusoidal voltage with lengths of about 10 to 100 μs. In this paper we demonstrate that right before a glow discharge is reached, the discharge very closely resembles the commonly assumed Townsend discharge structure, but actually contains some significant differing features and hence should not be considered as a Townsend discharge. In order to clarify this, we present calculation results of high time and space resolution of the pulse formation. The results indicate that indeed a maximum of ionization is formed at the anode, but that the level of ionization remains high and that the electric field at that time is significantly disturbed. Our results also show where this intermediate structure comes from. (fast track communication)

A sensitive gas chromatography detector based on atmospheric pressure chemical ionization by a dielectric barrier discharge.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirk, Ansgar T; Last, Torben; Zimmermann, Stefan

2017-02-03

In this work, we present a novel concept for a gas chromatography detector utilizing an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization which is initialized by a dielectric barrier discharge. In general, such a detector can be simple and low-cost, while achieving extremely good limits of detection. However, it is non-selective apart from the use of chemical dopants. Here, a demonstrator manufactured entirely from fused silica capillaries and printed circuit boards is shown. It has a size of 75×60×25mm 3 and utilizes only 2W of power in total. Unlike other known discharge detectors, which require high-purity helium, this detector can theoretically be operated using any gas able to form stable ion species. Here, purified air is used. With this setup, limits of detection in the low parts-per-billion range have been obtained for acetone. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes in the biomechanical properties of a single cell induced by nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro-dielectric barrier discharge plasma.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Hyeongwon; Choi, Eun Ha; Kim, Kyung Sook

2017-10-01

Mechanical properties of a single cell are closely related to the fate and functions of the cell. Changes in mechanical properties may cause diseases or cell apoptosis. Selective cytotoxic effects of nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro-dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma have been demonstrated on cancer cells. In this work, changes in the mechanical properties of a single cell induced by nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro-DBD plasma were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa) and normal human fibroblast cells (HFBs) were exposed to micro-DBD plasma for various exposure times. The elasticity of a single cell was determined by force-distance curve measurement using AFM. Young's modulus was decreased by plasma treatment for all cells. The Young's modulus of plasma-treated HeLa cells was decreased by 75% compared to nontreated HeLa cells. In SiHa cells and HFBs, elasticity was decreased slightly. Chemical changes induced by the plasma treatment, which were observed by Raman spectroscopy, were also significant in HeLa cells compared to SiHa cells and HFBs. These results suggested that the molecular changes induced by micro-DBD plasma were related to cell mechanical changes. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Basic principles and applications of atmospheric-pressure discharge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, K.H.

2002-01-01

The principles that govern the generation and maintenance of atmospheric - pressure discharge plasmas are summarized. The properties and operating parameters of various types such as dielectric barrier discharge plasmas (DBDs), corona discharge plasmas (CDs), microhollow cathode discharge plasmas (MHCDs) , and dielectric capillary electrode discharge plasmas (CDEDs) are introduced. All of them are self sustained, non equilibrium gas discharges that can be operated at atmospheric pressure. CDs and DBDDs represent very similar types of discharges, while DBDs are characterized by insulating layers on one or both electrodes, CDs depend on inhomogeneous electric fields at least in some parts of the electrode configuration to restrict the primary ionization processes to a small fraction of the inter - electrode region. Their application to novel light sources in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) spectral region is described. (nevyjel)

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of glass fibre composite for adhesion improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Mortensen, H.; Stenum, Bjarne

2007-01-01

Glass-fibre-reinforced polyester composite plates were treated with an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge. Synthetic air was used as the treatment gas. The water contact angle dropped markedly from 84 to 22° after a 2-s treatment, and decreased to 0° when the composite plates were...

Improvement of wettability and absorbancy of textile using atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Ghimire, Bhagirath; Subedi, Deepak Prasad; Khanal, Raju

2017-08-01

In this study, cotton textile samples, commonly used in making quilt covers were subjected to atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge treatment to study their surface wettability and absorbancy. Samples were treated in the discharge using a rotatory mechanism and the effects of plasma treatment were examined by contact angle measurement and weight measurement. Air plasma treatment was successful in incorporating hydrophilic functional groups on the textile surface due to which wettability as well as absorbancy immediately after the treatment were highly improved. Effects of plasma treatment started to appear only after 20 cycles (9 mins) and got saturated after 24 cycles (10.8 mins) of treatment. The contact angle reduced from 137 ° (untreated sample) to a value less than 30 ° while absorbancy increased by more than two times as compared to untreated sample. Also, the aging behavior of the plasma treated samples were studied for about a week after plasma treatment. It was observed that the induced oxygen containing groups re-oriented into the bulk of the material during their storage in the environment due to which initial properties of the samples recovered gradually. Our results indicate that low temperature plasma can be successfully applied to modify the properties of textiles and textile industries could utilize this by standardization.

Surface modification of nanofibrillated cellulose films by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siró, Istvan; Kusano, Yukihiro; Norrman, Kion

2013-01-01

of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment, the water contact angle of NFC films increased and the values were comparable with those of PLA films. On the other hand, surface chemical characterization revealed inhomogeneity of the plasma treatment and limited improvement in adhesion between NFC and PLA films...

Treatment of poly(ethylene terephthalate) foils by atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge and its influence on cell growth

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzminova, Anna; Vandrovcová, Marta; Shelemin, Artem; Kylián, Ondřej; Choukourov, Andrei; Hanuš, Jan; Bačáková, Lucie; Slavínská, Danka; Biederman, Hynek

2015-12-01

In this contribution an effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) sustained in air at atmospheric pressure on surface properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils is studied. It is found that exposure of PET to DBD plasma leads to rapid changes of surface chemical composition, wettability, surface morphology as well as mechanical properties of PET surface. In addition, based on biological tests that were performed using two cell types (Saos-2 human osteoblast-like cells and HUVEC human umbilical vein endothelial cells), it may be concluded that DBD plasma treatment positively influences cell growth on PET. This effect was found to be connected predominantly with increased surface energy and oxygen content of the surface of treated PET foils.

Study on the characteristics of barrier free surface discharge driven by repetitive nanosecond pulses at atmospheric pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lei, Pang; Qiaogen, Zhang [State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Kun, He [China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100192 (China); Chunliang, Liu [State Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

2016-05-15

Nanosecond pulsed plasma has an enormous potential in many applications. In this paper, the characteristics of barrier free nanosecond pulsed surface discharge are investigated by the use of an actuator with a strip-strip film electrode configuration, including the effect of electrode width and the gap distance on the plasma morphology and electrical characteristics at atmospheric pressure. It was found that it is relative easier to generate a quasi uniform discharge with a thinner electrode width and a smaller gap distance. The underlying physical mechanism was also discussed. Besides that, the influence of airflow on repetitive pulsed surface discharge was examined. By comparing to the discharge produced by two different pulse waveforms in airflows, we found that the discharge driven by a faster pulse behaves more stable. Finally, a model was developed to analyze the interaction of the airflow and the discharge channels.

Preliminary Investigation of a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Lamp in Open Air at Atmospheric Pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Feng; Wang Wei-Wei; Chang Xi-Jiang; Liang Rong-Qing

2011-01-01

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) lamp is investigated by using sinusoidal power with a 10 kHz frequency in open air at atmospheric pressure. With increasing applied voltages, the different discharge phenomena appear. At relatively low voltages, the discharge states are general stochastic filamentary discharges with weak light. However, at relatively high voltages, the walls of quartz tubes are heated sharply by plasma, and then the dazzling light is emitted very quickly to form the DBD Lamp, corresponding to the low maintaining voltage that is lower than the ignited voltage. The discharge state or mode of the DBD lamp that corresponds to the glow discharge is deduced according to the wave form of the circuit current, which is evidently different from the filamentary discharges. Under these conditions, the spectrum of the DBD lamp is continuous in the range 400–932 nm, which is scanned in the range 300–932 nm. It is also shown that there is another discharge state or mode that is different from the traditional filamentary discharges. Therefore, it is concluded that the discharge state or mode of the DBD lamp is a glow discharge. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

Electrical characterization of microdischarges produced by dielectric barrier discharge in dry air at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jidenko, N; Petit, M; Borra, J P

2006-01-01

This work addresses the case of millimetre sized plane-to-plane dielectric barrier discharge with sinusoidal voltage between 1 and 60 kHz for different configurations in air at atmospheric pressure. The first aim of this work is to achieve a representative statistical analysis of the electrical characteristics of the microdischarges. The numerical data treatment presented here enables us to determine the maximum current, the duration, the amount of charge and the triggering voltage for each current pulse. Both the average values as well as the deviations are checked. The relative influence of the operating parameters (voltage, gas flow rate, gap width, frequency) on the local surface polarization, electron attachment and temperature affecting microdischarge characteristics has been depicted in different arrangements. A special attention is paid to the influence of dielectric walls inside the discharge gap, perpendicular to the electrodes. Besides, this study allows the identification of the operating conditions for which all the microdischarges can be considered identical to study the local physical and chemical processes around each microdischarge

Electrical characterization of microdischarges produced by dielectric barrier discharge in dry air at atmospheric pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jidenko, N [Laboratoire de Physique des Gaz et des Plasmas (CNRS-Universite Paris XI), Equipe Decharges Electriques et Environnement, Supelec, 91190 Gif sur Yvette (France); Petit, M [Service Electrotechnique et Electronique Industrielle, SUPELEC Plateau de Moulon, 91192 Gif sur Yvette Cedex (France); Borra, J P [Laboratoire de Physique des Gaz et des Plasmas (CNRS-Universite Paris XI), Equipe Decharges Electriques et Environnement, Supelec, 91190 Gif sur Yvette (France)

2006-01-21

This work addresses the case of millimetre sized plane-to-plane dielectric barrier discharge with sinusoidal voltage between 1 and 60 kHz for different configurations in air at atmospheric pressure. The first aim of this work is to achieve a representative statistical analysis of the electrical characteristics of the microdischarges. The numerical data treatment presented here enables us to determine the maximum current, the duration, the amount of charge and the triggering voltage for each current pulse. Both the average values as well as the deviations are checked. The relative influence of the operating parameters (voltage, gas flow rate, gap width, frequency) on the local surface polarization, electron attachment and temperature affecting microdischarge characteristics has been depicted in different arrangements. A special attention is paid to the influence of dielectric walls inside the discharge gap, perpendicular to the electrodes. Besides, this study allows the identification of the operating conditions for which all the microdischarges can be considered identical to study the local physical and chemical processes around each microdischarge.

The effect of O2 in a humid O2/N2/NOx gas mixture on NOx and N2O remediation by an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Teodoru, Steluta; Kusano, Yukihiro; Bogaerts, Annemie

2012-01-01

A numerical model for NxOy remediation in humid air plasma produced with a dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure is presented. Special emphasis is given to NO2 and N2O reduction with the decrease of O2 content in the feedstock gas. A detailed reaction mechanism including electronic...

Investigation and control of the {{\\rm{O}}}_{3}- to {NO}-transition in a novel sub-atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Bansemer, Robert; Schmidt-Bleker, Ansgar; van Rienen, Ursula; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter

2017-06-01

A novel flow-driven dielectric barrier discharge concept is presented, which uses a Venturi pump to transfer plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species from a sub-atmospheric pressure (200{--}600 {mbar}) discharge region to ambient pressure and can be operated with air. By adjusting the working pressure of the device, the plasma chemistry can be tuned continuously from an ozone ({{{O}}}3)-dominated mode to a nitrogen oxides ({{NO}}x)-only mode. The plasma source is characterized focusing on the mechanisms effecting this mode change. The composition of the device’s output gas was determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results are correlated to measurements of discharge chamber pressure and temperature as well as of input power. It is found that the mode-change temperature can be controlled by the discharge chamber pressure. The source concept is capable of generating an {{NO}}x-dominated plasma chemistry at gas temperatures distinctly below 400 {{K}}. Through mixing of the processed gas stream with a second flow of pressurized air required for the operation of the Venturi pump, the resulting product gas stream remains close to room temperature. A reduced zero-dimensional reaction kinetics model with only seven reactions is capable of describing the observed pressure- and temperature-dependence of the {{{O}}}3 to {{NO}}x mode-change.

Permeability measurement of some barrier materials as a function of temperature and pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maqsood, M.; Faisal, S.; Ali, J.; Usman, A.; Alamgir, K.; Farooq, K.

2011-01-01

Barrier materials possess the ability to restrict the passage of gases, vapors, and organic liquids through their boundaries. These barrier materials have large number of applications in industry and scientific research. To measure the permeability of barrier materials, a specific gas flow system has been developed, pure helium gas is used to measure the back ground reading through SS-316. The permeability and break-through time has been measured through Inconel X-750, NBR and Viton below and above the atmospheric pressure and at different temperatures 20 deg. C, 40 deg. C and 70 deg. C. (author)

Effects of oxygen concentration on atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in Argon-Oxygen Mixture

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xuechun; Li, Dian; Wang, Younian

2016-09-01

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) can generate a low-temperature plasma easily at atmospheric pressure and has been investigated for applications in trials in cancer therapy, sterilization, air pollution control, etc. It has been confirmed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a key role in the processes. In this work, we use a fluid model to simulate the plasma characteristics for DBD in argon-oxygen mixture. The effects of oxygen concentration on the plasma characteristics have been discussed. The evolution mechanism of ROS has been systematically analyzed. It was found that the ground state oxygen atoms and oxygen molecular ions are the dominated oxygen species under the considered oxygen concentrations. With the oxygen concentration increasing, the densities of electrons, argon atomic ions, resonance state argon atoms, metastable state argon atoms and excited state argon atoms all show a trend of decline. The oxygen molecular ions density is high and little influenced by the oxygen concentration. Ground state oxygen atoms density tends to increase before falling. The ozone density increases significantly. Increasing the oxygen concentration, the discharge mode begins to change gradually from the glow discharge mode to Townsend discharge mode. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11175034).

Surface treatment of aramid fiber by air dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Caixia; Chen Ping; Liu Wei; Li Bin; Wang Qian

2011-01-01

Aramid fiber samples are treated by air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at atmospheric pressure; the plasma treatment time is investigated as the major parameter. The effects of this treatment on the fiber surface physical and chemical properties are studied by using surface characterization techniques. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is performed to determine the surface morphology changes, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is analyzed to reveal the surface chemical composition variations and dynamic contact angle analysis (DCAA) is used to examine the changes of the fiber surface wettability. In addition, the wetting behavior of a kind of thermoplastic resin, poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK), on aramid fiber surface is also observed by SEM photos. The study shows that there seems to be an optimum treatment condition for surface modification of aramid fiber by the air DBD plasma. In this paper, after the 12 s, 27.6 W/cm 3 plasma treatment the aramid fiber surface roughness is significantly improved, some new oxygen-containing groups such as C-O, C=O and O=C-O are generated on the fiber surface and the fiber surface wettability is greatly enhanced, which results in the better wetting behavior of PPESK resin on the plasma-treated aramid fiber.

Low-temperature hydrogenation of diamond nanoparticles using diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kromka, Alexander; Čech, J.; Kozak, Halyna; Artemenko, Anna; Ižák, Tibor; Čermák, Jan; Rezek, Bohuslav; Černák, M.

2015-01-01

Roč. 252, č. 11 (2015), s. 2602-2607 ISSN 0370-1972 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP108/12/G108 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : atmospheric plasma * diamond nanoparticles * diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge * FTIR * XPS Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 1.522, year: 2015

Plasma treatment of carbon fibres and glass-fibre-reinforced polyesters at atmospheric pressure for adhesion improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Løgstrup Andersen, Tom; Toftegaard, Helmuth Langmaack

2014-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is useful for adhesion improvement, because cleaning, roughening and addition of polar functional groups can be expected at the surfaces. Its possible applications in the wind energy industry include plasma treatment of fibres and fibre-reinforced polymer...... composites before assembling them to build wind turbine blades. In the present work, unsized carbon fibres are continuously treated using a dielectric barrier discharge plasma in helium at atmospheric pressure, and carbon fibre reinforced epoxy composite plates are manufactured for the mechanical test....... The plasma treatment improved fracture toughness, indicating that adhesion between the fibres and the epoxy was enhanced by the treatment. In addition, glass-fibre-reinforced polyester plates are treated using a gliding arc and an ultrasound enhanced dielectric barrier discharge, improving the wettability...

Microwave Atmospheric-Pressure Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Flower, D. A.; Peckham, G. E.; Bradford, W. J.

1986-01-01

Report describes tests of microwave pressure sounder (MPS) for use in satellite measurements of atmospheric pressure. MPS is multifrequency radar operating between 25 and 80 GHz. Determines signal absorption over vertical path through atmosphere by measuring strength of echoes from ocean surface. MPS operates with cloud cover, and suitable for use on current meteorological satellites.

[Investigation on the gas temperature of a plasma jet at atmospheric pressure by emission spectrum].

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xue-chen; Yuan, Ning; Jia, Peng-ying; Niu, Dong-ying

2010-11-01

A plasma jet of a dielectric barrier discharge in coaxial electrode was used to produce plasma plume in atmospheric pressure argon. Spatially and temporally resolved measurement was carried out by photomultiplier tubes. The light emission signals both from the dielectric barrier discharge and from the plasma plume were analyzed. Furthermore, emission spectrum from the plasma plume was collected by high-resolution optical spectrometer. The emission spectra of OH (A 2sigma + --> X2 II, 307.7-308.9 nm) and the first negative band of N2+ (B2 sigma u+ --> X2 IIg+, 390-391.6 nm) were used to estimate the rotational temperature of the plasma plume by fitting the experimental spectra to the simulated spectra. The rotational temperature obtained is about 443 K by fitting the emission spectrum from the OH, and that from the first negative band of N2+ is about 450 K. The rotational temperatures obtained by the two method are consistent within 5% error band. The gas temperature of the plasma plume at atmospheric pressure was obtained because rotational temperature equals to gas temperature approximately in gas discharge at atmospheric pressure. Results show that gas temperature increases with increasing the applied voltage.

Stimulation of wound healing by helium atmospheric pressure plasma treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nastuta, Andrei Vasile; Topala, Ionut; Pohoata, Valentin; Popa, Gheorghe; Grigoras, Constantin

2011-01-01

New experiments using atmospheric pressure plasma have found large application in treatment of living cells or tissues, wound healing, cancerous cell apoptosis, blood coagulation on wounds, bone tissue modification, sterilization and decontamination. In this study an atmospheric pressure plasma jet generated using a cylindrical dielectric-barrier discharge was applied for treatment of burned wounds on Wistar rats' skin. The low temperature plasma jet works in helium and is driven by high voltage pulses. Oxygen and nitrogen based impurities are identified in the jet by emission spectroscopy. This paper analyses the natural epithelization of the rats' skin wounds and two methods of assisted epithelization, a classical one using polyurethane wound dressing and a new one using daily atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of wounds. Systemic and local medical data, such as haematological, biochemical and histological parameters, were monitored during entire period of study. Increased oxidative stress was observed for plasma treated wound. This result can be related to the presence in the plasma volume of active species, such as O and OH radicals. Both methods, wound dressing and plasma-assisted epithelization, provided positive medical results related to the recovery process of burned wounds. The dynamics of the skin regeneration process was modified: the epidermis re-epitelization was accelerated, while the recovery of superficial dermis was slowed down.

Ultrasound enhanced 50 Hz plasma treatment of glass-fiber-reinforced polyester at atmospheric pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Norrman, Kion; Singh, Shailendra Vikram

2013-01-01

Glass-fiber-reinforced polyester (GFRP) plates are treated using a 50Hz dielectric barrier discharge at a peak-to-peak voltage of 30 kV in helium at atmospheric pressure with and without ultrasonic irradiation to study adhesion improvement. The ultrasonic waves at the fundamental frequency...

Electrical characterization of atmospheric pressure DBD in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrestha, P.; Joshi, U.M.; Subedi, D.P.

2013-01-01

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in air was generated between two rectangular copper electrodes covering the lower electrode with a dielectric (glass or polycarbonate -PC) using low frequency (line frequency-50Hz) high voltage power supply. The discharge was studied for inter-electrode gap spacing in the range of 2 mm – 5 mm and their influence on breakdown voltage. Voltage-current characteristics and the analysis of the distribution of current pulses per half cycle of the current waveform indicated that the discharge is more uniform in 3 mm inter-electrode gap spacing with PC as a dielectric rather than glass. (author)

Fluoropolymer coated alanine films treated by atmospheric pressure plasmas − In comparison with gamma irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Bardenshtein, Alexander; Morgen, Per

2018-01-01

Fluoropolymer coated alanine films are treated by a dielectric barrier discharge and a gliding arc at atmospheric pressure as well as with gamma irradiation. The film surfaces and the underlying bulk materials are characterized before and after each treatment. The fluorine content decreases...

Dependence of Ozone Generation on Gas Temperature Distribution in AC Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge in Oxygen

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Go; Akashi, Haruaki

AC atmospheric pressure multi-filament dielectric barrier discharge in oxygen has been simulated using two dimensional fluid model. In the discharge, three kinds of streamers have been obtained. They are primary streamers, small scale streamers and secondary streamers. The primary streamers are main streamers in the discharge and the small scale streamers are formed after the ceasing of the primary streamers. And the secondary streamers are formed on the trace of the primary streamers. In these streamers, the primary and the small scale streamers are very effective to generate O(3P) oxygen atoms which are precursor of ozone. And the ozone is generated mainly in the vicinity of the dielectrics. In high gas temperature region, ozone generation decreases in general. However, increase of the O(3P) oxygen atom density in high gas temperature region compensates decrease of ozone generation rate coefficient. As a result, amount of ozone generation has not changed. But if the effect of gas temperature was neglected, amount of ozone generation increases 10%.

Plasma density enhancement in atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier discharges by high-voltage nanosecond pulse in the pulse-on period: a PIC simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sang Chaofeng; Sun Jizhong; Wang Dezhen

2010-01-01

A particle-in-cell (PIC) plus Monte Carlo collision simulation is employed to investigate how a sustainable atmospheric pressure single dielectric-barrier discharge responds to a high-voltage nanosecond pulse (HVNP) further applied to the metal electrode. The results show that the HVNP can significantly increase the plasma density in the pulse-on period. The ion-induced secondary electrons can give rise to avalanche ionization in the positive sheath, which widens the discharge region and enhances the plasma density drastically. However, the plasma density stops increasing as the applied pulse lasts over certain time; therefore, lengthening the pulse duration alone cannot improve the discharge efficiency further. Physical reasons for these phenomena are then discussed.

Plasma density enhancement in atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier discharges by high-voltage nanosecond pulse in the pulse-on period: a PIC simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Sang, Chaofeng; Sun, Jizhong; Wang, Dezhen

2010-02-01

A particle-in-cell (PIC) plus Monte Carlo collision simulation is employed to investigate how a sustainable atmospheric pressure single dielectric-barrier discharge responds to a high-voltage nanosecond pulse (HVNP) further applied to the metal electrode. The results show that the HVNP can significantly increase the plasma density in the pulse-on period. The ion-induced secondary electrons can give rise to avalanche ionization in the positive sheath, which widens the discharge region and enhances the plasma density drastically. However, the plasma density stops increasing as the applied pulse lasts over certain time; therefore, lengthening the pulse duration alone cannot improve the discharge efficiency further. Physical reasons for these phenomena are then discussed.

Nonlinear behaviors in a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Jiao; Wang Yanhui, E-mail: wangyh@dlut.edu.cn; Wang Dezhen

2011-08-01

In this paper, the temporal nonlinear behaviors of pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric helium are studied numerically by a one-dimensional fluid model. The results show that the common single-period pulsed discharge with two current pulses per single voltage pulse can take place over a broad parameter range. The rising and falling times of the voltage pulse can affect the discharge characteristics greatly. When the discharge is ignited by a pulse voltage with long rising and falling times, a single-period pulsed discharge with multiple current peaks can be observed. Under appropriate rising and falling times of the voltage pulse, a stable period-two discharge can occur over wide frequency and voltage ranges. Also this period-two discharge can exhibit different current and voltage characteristics with changing the duty cycle. With other parameters fixed, the pulsed DBD could be driven to chaos through period-doubling route by increasing either the falling time or the frequency of voltage pulse.

Conversion of carbon dioxide to value-added chemicals in atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paulussen, Sabine; Verheyde, Bert; Tu Xin; Sels, Bert; De Bie, Christophe; Martens, Tom; Petrovic, Dragana; Bogaerts, Annemie

2010-01-01

The aim of this work consists of the evaluation of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges for the conversion of greenhouse gases into useful compounds. Therefore, pure CO 2 feed flows are administered to the discharge zone at varying discharge frequency, power input, gas temperature and feed flow rates, aiming at the formation of CO and O 2 . The discharge obtained in CO 2 is characterized as a filamentary mode with a microdischarge zone in each half cycle of the applied voltage. It is shown that the most important parameter affecting the CO 2 -conversion levels is the gas flow rate. At low flow rates, both the conversion and the CO-yield are significantly higher. In addition, also an increase in the gas temperature and the power input give rise to higher conversion levels, although the effect on the CO-yield is limited. The optimum discharge frequency depends on the power input level and it cannot be unambiguously stated that higher frequencies give rise to increased conversion levels. A maximum CO 2 conversion of 30% is achieved at a flow rate of 0.05 L min -1 , a power density of 14.75 W cm -3 and a frequency of 60 kHz. The most energy efficient conversions are achieved at a flow rate of 0.2 L min -1 , a power density of 11 W cm -3 and a discharge frequency of 30 kHz.

Atmospheric pressure does not influence acute diverticular disease

OpenAIRE

Velayos Jiménez, Benito; Pons Renedo, Fernando; Feranández Salazar, Luis; Muñoz, María Fe; Olmo, Lourdes del; Almaraz Gómez, Ana; Beltrán de Heredia, Juan; Hernández González, José Manuel

2013-01-01

Producción Científica The article offers information on a study which examines the influence of atmospheric pressure on the development of acute diverticular disease. The value of atmospheric pressure and its daily trends in 2012 was collected to prove whether atmospheric pressure influence this disease by raising intra-diverticular pressure in days with higher atmospheric pressure. The study involved patients with acute diverticulitis who underwent computed tomography.

Determining Atmospheric Pressure Using a Water Barometer

Science.gov (United States)

Lohrengel, C. Frederick, II; Larson, Paul R.

2012-01-01

The atmosphere is an envelope of compressible gases that surrounds Earth. Because of its compressibility and nonuniform heating by the Sun, it is in constant motion. The atmosphere exerts pressure on Earth's surface, but that pressure is in constant flux. This experiment allows students to directly measure atmospheric pressure by measuring the…

Sterilization and Decontamination of Surfaces Contaminated With Biological and Chemical Warfare Agents Using Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharges

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Garate, Eusebio

1999-01-01

... based on the application of an atmospheric pressure plasma. We used both a DC corona and dielectric barrier discharge for the sterilization tests which were conducted on a variety of substrates including metals and chemically resistant fabrics...

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

Science.gov (United States)

Selwyn, Gary S.

1999-01-01

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. A .gamma.-mode, resonant-cavity plasma discharge that can be operated at atmospheric pressure and near room temperature using 13.56 MHz rf power is described. Unlike plasma torches, the discharge produces a gas-phase effluent no hotter than 250.degree. C. at an applied power of about 300 W, and shows distinct non-thermal characteristics. In the simplest design, two concentric cylindrical electrodes are employed to generate a plasma in the annular region therebetween. A "jet" of long-lived metastable and reactive species that are capable of rapidly cleaning or etching metals and other materials is generated which extends up to 8 in. beyond the open end of the electrodes. Films and coatings may also be removed by these species. Arcing is prevented in the apparatus by using gas mixtures containing He, which limits ionization, by using high flow velocities, and by properly shaping the rf-powered electrode. Because of the atmospheric pressure operation, no ions survive for a sufficiently long distance beyond the active plasma discharge to bombard a workpiece, unlike low-pressure plasma sources and conventional plasma processing methods.

Surface chemical changes of atmospheric pressure plasma treated rabbit fibres important for felting process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Štěpánová, Vlasta, E-mail: vstepanova@mail.muni.cz [Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Science Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic); Slavíček, Pavel; Stupavská, Monika; Jurmanová, Jana [Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Science Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic); Černák, Mirko [Department of Physical Electronics, Faculty of Science Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno (Czech Republic); Department of Experimental Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University, Mlynská dolina F2, 842 48 Bratislava (Slovakia)

2015-11-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Rabbit fibres plasma treatment is an effective method for fibres modification. • Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is able to affect fibres properties. • Surface changes on fibres after plasma treatment were analysed via SEM, ATR-FTIR, XPS. • Significant increase of fibres wettability after plasma treatment was observed. • Plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure can replace the chemical treatment of fibres. - Abstract: We introduce the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment as a suitable procedure for in-line industrial application of rabbit fibres pre-treatment. Changes of rabbit fibre properties due to the plasma treatment were studied in order to develop new technology of plasma-based treatment before felting. Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) in ambient air at atmospheric pressure was used for plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscopy was used for determination of the fibres morphology before and after plasma treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used for evaluation of reactive groups. The concentration of carbon decreased and conversely the concentration of nitrogen and oxygen increased after plasma treatment. Aging effect of plasma treated fibres was also investigated. Using Washburn method the significant increase of fibres wettability was observed after plasma treatment. New approach of pre-treatment of fibres before felting using plasma was developed. Plasma treatment of fibres at atmospheric pressure can replace the chemical method which consists of application of strong acids on fibres.

Effects and Mechanism of Atmospheric-Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge Cold Plasma on Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Enzyme

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao; Xu, Zimu; Shen, Jie; Li, Xu; Ding, Lili; Ma, Jie; Lan, Yan; Xia, Weidong; Cheng, Cheng; Sun, Qiang; Zhang, Zelong; Chu, Paul K.

2015-05-01

Proteins are carriers of biological functions and the effects of atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasmas on proteins are important to applications such as sterilization and plasma-induced apoptosis of cancer cells. Herein, we report our detailed investigation of the effects of helium-oxygen non-thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas on the inactivation of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme solutions. Circular dichroism (CD) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) indicate that the loss of activity stems from plasma-induced modification of the secondary molecular structure as well as polymerization of the peptide chains. Raising the treatment intensity leads to a reduced alpha-helix content, increase in the percentage of the beta-sheet regions and random sequence, as well as gradually decreasing LDH activity. However, the structure of the LDH plasma-treated for 300 seconds exhibits a recovery trend after storage for 24 h and its activity also increases slightly. By comparing direct and indirect plasma treatments, plasma-induced LDH inactivation can be attributed to reactive species (RS) in the plasma, especially ones with a long lifetime including hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and nitrate ion which play the major role in the alteration of the macromolecular structure and molecular diameter in lieu of heat, UV radiation, and charged particles.

Glyphosate contaminated soil remediation by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma and its residual toxicity evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tiecheng; Ren, Jingyu; Qu, Guangzhou; Liang, Dongli; Hu, Shibin

2016-12-15

Glyphosate was one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Remediation of glyphosate-contaminated soil was conducted using atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The feasibility of glyphosate degradation in soil was explored, and the soil leachate toxicity after remediation was assessed via a seed germination test. The experimental results showed that approximately 93.9% of glyphosate was degraded within 45min of DBD plasma treatment with an energy yield of 0.47gkWh -1 , and the degradation process fitted the first-order kinetic model. Increasing the discharge voltage and decreasing the organic matter content of the soil were both found to facilitate glyphosate degradation. There existed appropriate soil moisture to realize high glyphosate degradation efficiency. Glyphosate mineralization was confirmed by changes of total organic carbon (TOC), chemical oxygen demand (COD), PO 4 3- and NO 3 - . The degradation intermediates including glycine, aminomethylphosphonic acid, acetic acid, formic acid, PO 4 3- and NO 3 - , CO 2 and CO were observed. A possible pathway for glyphosate degradation in the soil using this system was proposed. Based on the soil leachate toxicity test using wheat seed germination, the soil did not exhibit any hazardous effects following high-efficiency glyphosate degradation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of flat sticky hydrophobic carbon diamond-like films using atmospheric pressure Ar/CH4 dielectric barrier discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Rincón, R.; Hendaoui, A.; de Matos, J.; Chaker, M.

2016-06-01

An Ar/CH4 atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (AP-DBD) was used to synthesize sticky hydrophobic diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on glass surface. The film is formed with plasma treatment duration shorter than 30 s, and water contact angles larger than 90° together with contact angle hysteresis larger than 10° can be achieved. According to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis, hydrocarbon functional groups are created on the glass substrate, producing coatings with low surface energy (˜35 mJ m-2) with no modification of the surface roughness. To infer the plasma processes leading to the formation of low energy DLC surfaces, optical emission spectroscopy was used. From the results, a direct relationship between the CH species present in the plasma and the carbon concentration in the hydrophobic layer was found, which suggests that the CH species are the precursors of DLC film growth. Additionally, the plasma gas temperature was measured to be below 350 K which highlights the suitability of using AP-DBD to treat thermo-sensitive surfaces.

Ion activation energy delivered to wounds by atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharges: sputtering of lipid-like surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babaeva, Natalia Yu; Kushner, Mark J; Ning Ning; Graves, David B

2012-01-01

The application of atmospheric pressure plasmas to human tissue has been shown to have therapeutic effects for wound healing and in treatment of skin diseases. These effects are attributed to production of UV photon fluxes, electric fields and beneficial radicals which intersect with biological reaction chains, and to energetic ions bombarding the surface. In this paper we report on results from a computational investigation of the ion energy and angular distributions (IEADs) in a dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in air incident directly on cell membranes for small dry and wet wounds in human skin. We found that ion energies in excess of 20-30 eV can be delivered onto cell membranes of dry wounds, and up to 60 eV onto the liquid interface of the wet wound. The details of the IEADs depend on the orientation of the cell membrane and on the relative location of the plasma streamer to the wound. Using results from a molecular dynamics simulation of ion sputter probabilities of typical lipid-like material, we show that prolonged exposure of the cell membrane to such IEADs can produce significant carbon removal. (paper)

Ion activation energy delivered to wounds by atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharges: sputtering of lipid-like surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Babaeva, Natalia Yu; Ning, Ning; Graves, David B.; Kushner, Mark J.

2012-03-01

The application of atmospheric pressure plasmas to human tissue has been shown to have therapeutic effects for wound healing and in treatment of skin diseases. These effects are attributed to production of UV photon fluxes, electric fields and beneficial radicals which intersect with biological reaction chains, and to energetic ions bombarding the surface. In this paper we report on results from a computational investigation of the ion energy and angular distributions (IEADs) in a dielectric-barrier discharge sustained in air incident directly on cell membranes for small dry and wet wounds in human skin. We found that ion energies in excess of 20-30 eV can be delivered onto cell membranes of dry wounds, and up to 60 eV onto the liquid interface of the wet wound. The details of the IEADs depend on the orientation of the cell membrane and on the relative location of the plasma streamer to the wound. Using results from a molecular dynamics simulation of ion sputter probabilities of typical lipid-like material, we show that prolonged exposure of the cell membrane to such IEADs can produce significant carbon removal.

Numerical study on the discharge characteristics and nonlinear behaviors of atmospheric pressure coaxial electrode dielectric barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Ding-Zong; Wang Yan-Hui; Wang De-Zhen

2017-01-01

The discharge characteristics and temporal nonlinear behaviors of the atmospheric pressure coaxial electrode dielectric barrier discharges are studied by using a one-dimensional fluid model. It is shown that the discharge is always asymmetrical between the positive pulses and negative pulses. The gas gap severely affects this asymmetry. But it is hard to acquire a symmetrical discharge by changing the gas gap. This asymmetry is proportional to the asymmetric extent of electrode structure, namely the ratio of the outer electrode radius to the inner electrode radius. When this ratio is close to unity, a symmetrical discharge can be obtained. With the increase of frequency, the discharge can exhibit a series of nonlinear behaviors such as period-doubling bifurcation, secondary bifurcation and chaotic phenomena. In the period-doubling bifurcation sequence the period- n discharge becomes more and more unstable with the increase of n . The period-doubling bifurcation can also be obtained by altering the discharge gas gap. The mechanisms of two bifurcations are further studied. It is found that the residual quasineutral plasma from the previous discharges and corresponding electric field distribution can weaken the subsequent discharge, and leads to the occurrence of bifurcation. (paper)

Two-dimensional simulation of argon dielectric barrier discharge excited by a Gaussian voltage at atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yonggang; Wang, Jing; Li, Jing; Lei, Bingying; Tang, Jie; Wang, Yishan; Li, Yongfang; Zhao, Wei; Duan, Yixiang

2017-04-01

A two-dimensional self-consistent fluid model was employed to investigate the spatiotemporal characteristics of discharges in atmospheric pressure argon (Ar) dielectric barrier discharge driven by a Gaussian voltage. The simulation results show that a discharge with multiple current pulses occurs each half-cycle in the gas gap. A transition from the Townsend mode to the glow mode is observed with the increasing applied voltage each half-cycle at a lower driving frequency (7.5 kHz). It is also found that the glow mode survives all the discharge phases at a higher driving frequency (12.5 kHz and 40 kHz). The change in the discharge mode with the driving frequency mainly lies in the fact that a lot of charged particles created in the discharge gap have no enough time to drift and diffuse around, and then these particles are assembled in the discharge space at higher frequency. Additionally, the spatial distributions of the electron density indicate that a center-advantage discharge is ignited at the driving frequencies of interest, resulting in the radial non-uniformity of discharge because of the edge effects. However, this overall non-uniformity is weakened with the driving frequency increased to 40 kHz, at which concentric ring patterns are observed. These distinct behaviors are mainly attributed to the fact that many charged particles generated are trapped in the gas gap and then accumulated to make the extension along the radial direction due to the charged particles transport and diffusion, and that the effective overlapping of a large number of avalanches induced by the increased "seed" electron density with the driving frequency. Meanwhile, the surface charged particles accumulated on the dielectric barriers are also shown to play a role in the formation of the discharge structure.

Atmospheric pressure variations and abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Killeen, S D

2012-02-03

BACKGROUND: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA) presents with increased frequency in the winter and spring months. Seasonal changes in atmospheric pressure mirrors this pattern. AIM: To establish if there was a seasonal variation in the occurrence of RAAA and to determine if there was any association with atmospheric pressure changes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort-based study was performed. Daily atmospheric pressure readings for the region were obtained. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant monthly variation in RAAA presentation with 107 cases (52.5%) occurring from November to March. The monthly number of RAAA and the mean atmospheric pressure in the previous month were inversely related (r = -0.752, r (2) = 0.566, P = 0.03), and there was significantly greater daily atmospheric pressure variability on days when patients with RAAA were admitted. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a relationship between atmospheric pressure and RAAA.

50-Hz plasma treatment of glass fibre reinforced polyester at atmospheric pressure enhanced by ultrasonic irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Norrman, Kion; Singh, Shailendra Vikram

2011-01-01

Glass fibre reinforced polyester (GFRP) plates are treated using a 50-Hz dielectric barrier discharge at peak-to-peak voltage of 30 kV in helium at atmospheric pressure with and without ultrasonic irradiation to study adhesion improvement. The ultrasonic waves at the fundamental frequency of around...

Characterization of an atmospheric pressure air plasma source for polymer surface modification

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shujun; Tang, Jiansheng

2013-10-01

An atmospheric pressure air plasma source was generated through dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). It was used to modify polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) surfaces with very high throughput. An equivalent circuit model was used to calculate the peak average electron density. The emission spectrum from the plasma was taken and the main peaks in the spectrum were identified. The ozone density in the down plasma region was estimated by Absorption Spectroscopy. NSF and ARC-ODU

Examination of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure related to migraine.

Science.gov (United States)

Okuma, Hirohisa; Okuma, Yumiko; Kitagawa, Yasuhisa

2015-01-01

Japan has four seasons and many chances of low atmospheric pressure or approaches of typhoon, therefore it has been empirically known that the fluctuation of weather induces migraine in people. Generally, its mechanism has been interpreted as follows: physical loading, attributed by atmospheric pressure to human bodies, compresses or dilates human blood vessels, which leads to abnormality in blood flow and induces migraine. We report our examination of the stage in which migraine tends to be induced focusing on the variation of atmospheric pressure. Subjects were 34 patients with migraine, who were treated in our hospital. The patients included 31 females and three males, whose mean age was 32 ± 6.7. 22 patients had migraine with aura and 12 patients had migraine without aura. All of patients with migraine maintained a headache diary to record atmospheric pressures when they developed a migraine. The standard atmospheric pressure was defined as 1013 hPa, and with this value as the criterion, we investigated slight fluctuations in the atmospheric pressure when they developed a migraine. It was found that the atmospheric pressure when the patients developed a migraine was within 1003-1007 hPa in the approach of low atmospheric pressure and that the patients developed a migraine when the atmospheric pressure decreased by 6-10 hPa, slightly less than the standard atmospheric pressure. Small decreases of 6-10 hPa relative to the standard atmospheric pressure of 1013 hPa induced migraine attacks most frequently in patients with migraine.

Investigation of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge and its application to surface modification of textile material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiaoliang Tang; Gao Qiu; Hankun Xie; Xianping Feng

2005-01-01

The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is characterized by the presence of at least one insulating layer in contact with the discharge between two planar or cylindrical electrodes connected to an ac power supply. In this paper, the spectral lines of plasma emission at atmospheric pressure were recorded by using a grating spectrograph, and all signals will be directly and immediately sent to the computer for data processing and analysis during the experiments. The spectrum lines of nitrogen, helium and argon plasma emission at atmospheric pressure were separately recorded and qualitatively analyzed using spectral diagnosis equipment of atmospheric pressure DBD plasma. The spectrum lines of the second positive system of nitrogen (c 3 π μ → B 3 Π g ), two characteristic spectrum lines of helium (3 1 P 1 → 2 1 S 0 , 3 3 D → 3 3 P), and all of neutral argon atom spectrum lines in the range 680 to 780 nm are recognized. For controlling the process of material surface modification promptly, the electron temperature of DBD plasma is quantitatively analyzed using relative intensity of argon spectrum lines. The relationships among the plasma parameters, such as discharge current and discharge power measured by Lissajous figure of the oscilloscope, were analyzed by using improved DBD equipment. The variation of plasma discharge current following the change of discharge gaps indicates an existence of critical gap distance. When the gap between electrodes is less than that the critical gap, a quasi-stable atmospheric pressure DBD plasma source can be achieved after carefully controlled discharge voltage and current. The experimental results indicate that a critical discharge gap is an important parameter to improve the quality of materials processing. The result is of great importance to DBD at atmospheric pressure and its application to materials processing. (author)

On the formation mechanisms of the diffuse atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in CVD processes of thin silica-like films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Starostin, S A; Premkumar, P Antony; Creatore, M; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Van de Sanden, M C M; De Vries, H; Paffen, R M J

2009-01-01

Pathways of formation and temporal evolution of the diffuse dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure were experimentally studied in this work by means of optical (fast imaging camera) and electrical diagnostics. The chosen model system is relevant for applications of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of thin silica-like film on the polymeric substrate, from cost-efficient gas mixtures of Ar/N 2 /O 2 /hexamethyldisiloxane. It was found that the discharge can gradually experience the phases of homogeneous low current Townsend-like mode, local Townsend to glow transition and expanding high current density (∼0.7 A cm -2 ) glow-like mode. While the glow-like current spot occupies momentarily only a small part of the electrode area, its expanding behavior provides uniform treatment of the whole substrate surface. Alternatively, it was observed that a visually uniform discharge can be formed by the numerous microdischarges overlapping over the large electrode area.

On the formation mechanisms of the diffuse atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in CVD processes of thin silica-like films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Starostin, S A; Premkumar, P Antony [Materials Innovation Institute (M2i), Mekelweg 2, 2600 GA Delft, The Netherland (Netherlands); Creatore, M; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Van de Sanden, M C M [Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); De Vries, H; Paffen, R M J [FUJIFILM Manufacturing Europe B.V, PO Box 90156, Tilburg (Netherlands)

2009-11-15

Pathways of formation and temporal evolution of the diffuse dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure were experimentally studied in this work by means of optical (fast imaging camera) and electrical diagnostics. The chosen model system is relevant for applications of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of thin silica-like film on the polymeric substrate, from cost-efficient gas mixtures of Ar/N{sub 2}/O{sub 2}/hexamethyldisiloxane. It was found that the discharge can gradually experience the phases of homogeneous low current Townsend-like mode, local Townsend to glow transition and expanding high current density ({approx}0.7 A cm{sup -2}) glow-like mode. While the glow-like current spot occupies momentarily only a small part of the electrode area, its expanding behavior provides uniform treatment of the whole substrate surface. Alternatively, it was observed that a visually uniform discharge can be formed by the numerous microdischarges overlapping over the large electrode area.

Numerical studies of independent control of electron density and gas temperature via nonlinear coupling in dual-frequency atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Z. L.; Nie, Q. Y.; Wang, Z. B.; Gao, X. T.; Kong, F. R.; Sun, Y. F.; Jiang, B. H.

2016-01-01

Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) provide a promising technology of generating non-equilibrium cold plasmas in atmospheric pressure gases. For both application-focused and fundamental studies, it is important to explore the strategy and the mechanism for enabling effective independent tuning of key plasma parameters in a DBD system. In this paper, we report numerical studies of effects of dual-frequency excitation on atmospheric DBDs, and modulation as well as separate tuning mechanism, with emphasis on dual-frequency coupling to the key plasma parameters and discharge evolution. With an appropriately applied low frequency to the original high frequency, the numerical calculation demonstrates that a strong nonlinear coupling between two frequencies governs the process of ionization and energy deposition into plasma, and thus raises the electron density significantly (e.g., three times in this case) in comparisons with a single frequency driven DBD system. Nevertheless, the gas temperature, which is mainly determined by the high frequency discharge, barely changes. This method then enables a possible approach of controlling both averaged electron density and gas temperature independently.

An Atmospheric Pressure Ping-Pong "Ballometer"

Science.gov (United States)

Kazachkov, Alexander; Kryuchkov, Dmitriy; Willis, Courtney; Moore, John C.

2006-01-01

Classroom experiments on atmospheric pressure focus largely on demonstrating its existence, often in a most impressive way. A series of amusing physics demonstrations is widely known and practiced by educators teaching the topic. However, measuring the value of atmospheric pressure(P[subscript atm]) is generally done in a rather mundane way,…

Treatment of Candida albicans biofilms with low-temperature plasma induced by dielectric barrier discharge and atmospheric pressure plasma jet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koban, Ina; Welk, Alexander; Meisel, Peter; Holtfreter, Birte; Kocher, Thomas; Matthes, Rutger; Huebner, Nils-Olaf; Kramer, Axel; Sietmann, Rabea; Kindel, Eckhard; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter

2010-01-01

Because of some disadvantages of chemical disinfection in dental practice (especially denture cleaning), we investigated the effects of physical methods on Candida albicans biofilms. For this purpose, the antifungal efficacy of three different low-temperature plasma devices (an atmospheric pressure plasma jet and two different dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs)) on Candida albicans biofilms grown on titanium discs in vitro was investigated. As positive treatment controls, we used 0.1% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) and 0.6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The corresponding gas streams without plasma ignition served as negative treatment controls. The efficacy of the plasma treatment was determined evaluating the number of colony-forming units (CFU) recovered from titanium discs. The plasma treatment reduced the CFU significantly compared to chemical disinfectants. While 10 min CHX or NaOCl exposure led to a CFU log 10 reduction factor of 1.5, the log 10 reduction factor of DBD plasma was up to 5. In conclusion, the use of low-temperature plasma is a promising physical alternative to chemical antiseptics for dental practice.

Treatment of Candida albicans biofilms with low-temperature plasma induced by dielectric barrier discharge and atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koban, Ina; Welk, Alexander; Meisel, Peter; Holtfreter, Birte; Kocher, Thomas [Unit of Periodontology, Dental School, University of Greifswald, Rotgerberstr. 8, 17475 Greifswald (Germany); Matthes, Rutger; Huebner, Nils-Olaf; Kramer, Axel [Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, University of Greifswald, Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49 a, 17487 Greifswald (Germany); Sietmann, Rabea [Institute of Microbiology, University of Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Str. 15, 17487 Greifswald (Germany); Kindel, Eckhard; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter, E-mail: ina.koban@uni-greifswald.d [Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2, 17489 Greifswald (Germany)

2010-07-15

Because of some disadvantages of chemical disinfection in dental practice (especially denture cleaning), we investigated the effects of physical methods on Candida albicans biofilms. For this purpose, the antifungal efficacy of three different low-temperature plasma devices (an atmospheric pressure plasma jet and two different dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs)) on Candida albicans biofilms grown on titanium discs in vitro was investigated. As positive treatment controls, we used 0.1% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) and 0.6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). The corresponding gas streams without plasma ignition served as negative treatment controls. The efficacy of the plasma treatment was determined evaluating the number of colony-forming units (CFU) recovered from titanium discs. The plasma treatment reduced the CFU significantly compared to chemical disinfectants. While 10 min CHX or NaOCl exposure led to a CFU log{sub 10} reduction factor of 1.5, the log{sub 10} reduction factor of DBD plasma was up to 5. In conclusion, the use of low-temperature plasma is a promising physical alternative to chemical antiseptics for dental practice.

Synthesis of flat sticky hydrophobic carbon diamond-like films using atmospheric pressure Ar/CH{sub 4} dielectric barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rincón, R., E-mail: rocio.rincon@emt.inrs.ca, E-mail: chaker@emt.inrs.ca; Matos, J. de; Chaker, M., E-mail: rocio.rincon@emt.inrs.ca, E-mail: chaker@emt.inrs.ca [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1650 Boulevard Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X1S2 (Canada); Hendaoui, A. [Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1650 Boulevard Lionel Boulet, Varennes, Québec J3X1S2 (Canada); Department of Physics, College of Science and General Studies, Alfaisal University, Takhasusi Road, Riyadh 11533 (Saudi Arabia)

2016-06-14

An Ar/CH{sub 4} atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (AP-DBD) was used to synthesize sticky hydrophobic diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on glass surface. The film is formed with plasma treatment duration shorter than 30 s, and water contact angles larger than 90° together with contact angle hysteresis larger than 10° can be achieved. According to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis, hydrocarbon functional groups are created on the glass substrate, producing coatings with low surface energy (∼35 mJ m{sup −2}) with no modification of the surface roughness. To infer the plasma processes leading to the formation of low energy DLC surfaces, optical emission spectroscopy was used. From the results, a direct relationship between the CH species present in the plasma and the carbon concentration in the hydrophobic layer was found, which suggests that the CH species are the precursors of DLC film growth. Additionally, the plasma gas temperature was measured to be below 350 K which highlights the suitability of using AP-DBD to treat thermo-sensitive surfaces.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet's characterization and surface wettability driven by neon transformer

Science.gov (United States)

Elfa, R. R.; Nafarizal, N.; Ahmad, M. K.; Sahdan, M. Z.; Soon, C. F.

2017-03-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma driven by Neon transformer power supply argon is presented in this paper. Atmospheric pressure plasma system has attracted researcher interest over low pressure plasma as it provides a flexibility process, cost-efficient, portable device and vacuum-free device. Besides, another golden key of this system is the wide promising application in the field of work cover from industrial and engineering to medical. However, there are still numbers of fundamental investigation that are necessary such as device configuration, gas configuration and its effect. Dielectric barrier discharge which is also known as atmospheric pressure plasma discharge is created when there is gas ionization process occur which enhance the movement of atom and electron and provide energetic particles. These energetic particles can provide modification and cleaning property to the sample surface due to the bombardment of the high reactive ion and radicals to the sample surface. In order to develop atmospheric pressure plasma discharge, a high voltage and high frequency power supply is needed. In this work, we used a neon transformer power supply as the power supply. The flow of the Ar is feed into 10 mm cylinder quartz tube with different treatment time in order to investigate the effect of the plasma discharge. The analysis of each treatment time is presented by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and water contact angle (WCA) measurement. The increase of gas treatment time shows increases intensity of reactive Ar and reduces the angle of water droplets in water contact angle. Treatment time of 20 s microslide glass surface shows that the plasma needle discharges have modified the sample surface from hydrophilic surface to superhydrophilic surface. Thus, this leads to another interesting application in reducing sample surface adhesion to optimize productivity in the industry of paintings, semiconductor and more.

Analysis and experimental study on formation conditions of large-scale barrier-free diffuse atmospheric pressure air plasmas in repetitive pulse mode

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lee; Liu, Lun; Liu, Yun-Long; Bin, Yu; Ge, Ya-Feng; Lin, Fo-Chang

2014-01-01

Atmospheric air diffuse plasmas have enormous application potential in various fields of science and technology. Without dielectric barrier, generating large-scale air diffuse plasmas is always a challenging issue. This paper discusses and analyses the formation mechanism of cold homogenous plasma. It is proposed that generating stable diffuse atmospheric plasmas in open air should meet the three conditions: high transient power with low average power, excitation in low average E-field with locally high E-field region, and multiple overlapping electron avalanches. Accordingly, an experimental configuration of generating large-scale barrier-free diffuse air plasmas is designed. Based on runaway electron theory, a low duty-ratio, high voltage repetitive nanosecond pulse generator is chosen as a discharge excitation source. Using the wire-electrodes with small curvature radius, the gaps with highly non-uniform E-field are structured. Experimental results show that the volume-scaleable, barrier-free, homogeneous air non-thermal plasmas have been obtained between the gap spacing with the copper-wire electrodes. The area of air cold plasmas has been up to hundreds of square centimeters. The proposed formation conditions of large-scale barrier-free diffuse air plasmas are proved to be reasonable and feasible.

Decontamination of objects in a sealed container by means of atmospheric pressure plasmas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leipold, Frank; Schultz-Jensen, Nadja; Kusano, Yukihiro

2011-01-01

. The ambient atmosphere was air at atmospheric pressure. A plasma is generated inside the bag forming ozone from the oxygen. The maximum ozone concentration in the bag was found to be 140 ppm. A log 6 reduction of L. innocua is obtained after 15 min of exposure time. The temperature of the slides after...... for the experiments. Glass slides were inoculated with L. innocua. The slides were placed inside a low density polyethylene (LDPE) bag. The bag was filled with a gas mixture of 97.5 Vol% Ar and 2.5 Vol% O2 and subsequently sealed. The bag was placed between the electrodes of a dielectric barrier discharge...

A Brief Study on the Ignition of the Non-Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet from a Double Dielectric Barrier Configured Plasma Pencil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Begum, Asma; Laroussi, Mounir; Pervez, M. R.

2013-01-01

To understand the self sustained propagation of the plasma jet/bullet in air under atmospheric pressure, the ignition of the plasma jet/bullet, the plasma jet/bullet ignition point in the plasma pencil, the formation time and the formation criteria from a dielectric barrier configured plasma pencil were investigated in this study. The results were confirmed by comparing these results with the plasma jet ignition process in the plasma pencil without a dielectric barrier. Electrical, optical, and imaging techniques were used to study the formation of the plasma jet from the ignition of discharge in a double dielectric barrier configured plasma pencil. The investigation results show that the plasma jet forms at the outlet of the plasma pencil as a donut shaped discharge front because of the electric field line along the outlet's surface. It is shown that the required time for the formation of the plasma jet changes with the input voltage of the discharge. The input power calculation for the gap discharge and for the whole system shows that 56% of the average input power is used by the first gap discharge. The estimated electron density inside the gap discharge is in the order of 10 11 cm −3 . If helium is used as a feeding gas, a minimum 1.48×10 −8 C charge is required per pulse in the gap discharge to generate a plasma jet

Atmospheric pressure microwave plasma system with ring waveguide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Liang; Zhang Guixin; Zhu Zhijie; Luo Chengmu

2007-01-01

Some scientists used waveguide as the cavity to produce a plasma jet, while large volume microwave plasma was relatively hard to get in atmospheric pressure. However, a few research institutes have already developed devices to generate large volume of atmospheric pressure microwave plasma, such as CYRANNUS and SLAN series, which can be widely applied. In this paper, present a microwave plasma system with ring waveguide to excite large volume of atmospheric pressure microwave plasma, plot curves on theoretical disruption electric field of some working gases, emulate the cavity through software, measure the power density to validate and show the appearance of microwave plasma. At present, large volume of argon and helium plasma have already been generated steadily by atmospheric pressure microwave plasma system. This research can build a theoretical basis of microwave plasma excitation under atmospheric pressure and will be useful in study of the device. (authors)

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet with high-voltage power supply based on piezoelectric transformer.

Science.gov (United States)

Babij, Michał; Kowalski, Zbigniew W; Nitsch, Karol; Silberring, Jerzy; Gotszalk, Teodor

2014-05-01

The dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet, an example of the nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ), generates low-temperature plasmas that are suitable for the atomization of volatile species and can also be served as an ionization source for ambient mass and ion mobility spectrometry. A new design of APPJ for mass spectrometry has been built in our group. In these plasma sources magnetic transformers (MTs) and inductors are typically used in power supplies but they present several drawbacks that are even more evident when dealing with high-voltage normally used in APPJs. To overcome these disadvantages, high frequency generators with the absence of MT are proposed in the literature. However, in the case of miniaturized APPJs these conventional power converters, built of ferromagnetic cores and inductors or by means of LC resonant tank circuits, are not so useful as piezoelectric transformer (PT) based power converters due to bulky components and small efficiency. We made and examined a novel atmospheric pressure plasma jet with PT supplier served as ionization source for ambient mass spectrometry, and especially mobile spectrometry where miniaturization, integration of components, and clean plasma are required. The objective of this paper is to describe the concept, design, and implementation of this miniaturized piezoelectric transformer-based atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet with high-voltage power supply based on piezoelectric transformer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babij, Michał; Kowalski, Zbigniew W., E-mail: zbigniew.w.kowalski@pwr.wroc.pl; Nitsch, Karol; Gotszalk, Teodor [Wrocław University of Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370 Wrocław (Poland); Silberring, Jerzy [AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland)

2014-05-15

The dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet, an example of the nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ), generates low-temperature plasmas that are suitable for the atomization of volatile species and can also be served as an ionization source for ambient mass and ion mobility spectrometry. A new design of APPJ for mass spectrometry has been built in our group. In these plasma sources magnetic transformers (MTs) and inductors are typically used in power supplies but they present several drawbacks that are even more evident when dealing with high-voltage normally used in APPJs. To overcome these disadvantages, high frequency generators with the absence of MT are proposed in the literature. However, in the case of miniaturized APPJs these conventional power converters, built of ferromagnetic cores and inductors or by means of LC resonant tank circuits, are not so useful as piezoelectric transformer (PT) based power converters due to bulky components and small efficiency. We made and examined a novel atmospheric pressure plasma jet with PT supplier served as ionization source for ambient mass spectrometry, and especially mobile spectrometry where miniaturization, integration of components, and clean plasma are required. The objective of this paper is to describe the concept, design, and implementation of this miniaturized piezoelectric transformer-based atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

Nonlinear behavior in the time domain in argon atmospheric dielectric-barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Hong; Wang Yanhui; Wang Dezhen

2008-01-01

A vast majority of nonlinear behavior in atmospheric pressure discharges has so far been studied in the space domain, and their time-domain characters are often believed to exact the periodicity of the externally applied voltage. In this paper, based on one-dimensional fluid mode, we study complex nonlinear behavior in the time domain in argon atmospheric dielectric-barrier discharges at very broad frequency range from kilohertz to megahertz. Under certain conditions, the discharge not only can be driven to chaos from time-periodic state through period-doubling bifurcation, but also can return stable periodic motion from chaotic state through an inverse period-doubling bifurcation sequence. Upon changing the parameter the discharge undergoes alternatively chaotic and periodic behavior. Some periodic windows embedded in chaos, as well as the secondary bifurcation occurring in the periodic windows can also be observed. The corresponding discharge characteristics are investigated.

Nurses' attitude and perceived barriers to pressure ulcer prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Etafa, Werku; Argaw, Zeleke; Gemechu, Endalew; Melese, Belachew

2018-01-01

The presence or absence of pressure ulcers has been generally regarded as a performance measure of quality nursing care and overall patient health. The aim of this study- wasto explorenurses' attitude about pressure ulcer prevention'and to identify staff nurses' perceived barriers to pressure ulcer prevention public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A self-reported multi-center institutional based cross sectional study design was employed to collect data from staff nurses ( N  = 222) working in six (6) selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, from April 01-28/2015. Majority of the nurses had ( n  = 116, 52.2%) negative attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention. The mean scores of the test for all participants was 3.09out of 11(SD =0.92, range = 1-5). Similarly, the study revealed several barriers need to be resolved to put in to practice the strategies of pressure ulcer prevention; Heavy workload and inadequate staff (lack of tie) (83.1%), shortage of resources/equipment (67.7%) and inadequate training (63.2%) were among the major barriers identified in the study. The study finding suggests that Addis Ababa nurses have negative attitude to pressure ulcer prevention. Also several barriers exist for implementing pressure ulcer prevention protocols in public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Suggestion for improving this situation is attractive.

Nanocapillary Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet: A Tool for Ultrafine Maskless Surface Modification at Atmospheric Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Motrescu, Iuliana; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2016-05-18

With respect to microsized surface functionalization techniques we proposed the use of a maskless, versatile, simple tool, represented by a nano- or microcapillary atmospheric pressure plasma jet for producing microsized controlled etching, chemical vapor deposition, and chemical modification patterns on polymeric surfaces. In this work we show the possibility of size-controlled surface amination, and we discuss it as a function of different processing parameters. Moreover, we prove the successful connection of labeled sugar chains on the functionalized microscale patterns, indicating the possibility to use ultrafine capillary atmospheric pressure plasma jets as versatile tools for biosensing, tissue engineering, and related biomedical applications.

Diffuse plasma treatment of polyamide 66 fabric in atmospheric pressure air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Lee; Peng, Ming-yang; Teng, Yun; Gao, Guozhen

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A cylindrical-electrode nanosecond-pulse diffuse-discharge reactor is presented. • Large-scale non-thermal plasmas were generated steadily in atmospheric air. • Treated PA66 fabric is etched with oxygen-containing group increases. • The hydrophily of treated PA66 fabric improves effectively. • Extending the treatment time is a method to reduce the treatment frequency. - Abstract: The polyamide 66 (PA66) fabrics are hard to be colored or glued in industrial production due to the poor hydrophily. Diffuse plasma is a kind of non-thermal plasma generated at atmospheric pressure in air. This paper proposes that large-scale diffuse plasma generated between wire electrodes can be employed for improving the hydrophily of PA66 fabrics. A repetitive nanosecond-pulse diffuse-discharge reactor using a cylindrical wire electrode configuration is presented, which can generate large-scale non-thermal plasmas steadily at atmospheric pressure without any barrier dielectric. Then the reactor is used to treat PA66 fabrics in different discharge conditions. The hydrophilicity property of modified PA66 is measured by wicking test method. The modified PA66 is also analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to prove the surface changes in physical microstructure and chemical functional groups, respectively. What's more, the effects of treatment time and treatment frequency on surface modification are investigated and discussed.

Influence of atmospheric pressure on infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, Nicolas; Frank, Michael; Avenin, Laure; Hemery, Francois; Becquemin, Jean Pierre

2014-04-01

Meteorologic conditions have a significant impact on the occurrence of cardiovascular events. Previous studies have shown that abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture (AAAR) may be associated with atmospheric pressure, with conflicting results. Therefore, we aimed to further investigate the nature of the correlation between atmospheric pressure variations and AAAR. Hospital admissions related to AAAR between 2005-2009 were assessed in 19 districts of metropolitan France and correlated with geographically and date-matched mean atmospheric pressures. In parallel and from 2005-2009, all fatal AAARs as reported by death certificates were assessed nationwide and correlated to local atmospheric pressures at the time of aortic rupture. Four hundred ninety-four hospital admissions related to AAAR and 6,358 deaths nationwide by AAAR were identified between 2005-2009. Both in-hospital ruptures and aneurysm-related mortality had seasonal variations, with peak/trough incidences in January and June, respectively. Atmospheric pressure peaks occurred during winter. Univariate analysis revealed a significant association (P atmospheric pressure values and AAAR. After multivariate analysis, mean maximum 1-month prerupture atmospheric pressure had a persistent correlation with both in-hospital relative risk (1.05 [95% confidence interval: 1.03-1.06]; P atmospheric pressure. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Polythiophene films obtained by polymerization under atmospheric pressure plasma conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teslaru, T.; Topala, I., E-mail: ionut.topala@uaic.ro; Dobromir, M.; Pohoata, V.; Curecheriu, L.; Dumitrascu, N.

2016-02-01

The present work describes the experimental arrangement used to initiate polymerization reactions of thiophene monomer based on a dielectric barrier discharge with plane – parallel geometry, working at atmospheric pressure in argon, in turn to obtain conductive polymeric films for different applications. The resulting plasma polymerized polythiophene (pPTh) film was characterized by FT-IR, UV–Vis, XPS spectroscopy, AFM and contact angle measurements. Characterization of pPTh films showed a higher hydrophobic character and roughness, as compared with films obtained by chemical methods, and the thickness is depending on polymerization duration. Also it can conclude that our samples represent oxidised state of pPTh. As a possible application, it analysed in situ the iodine absorption phenomenon in the pPTh matrix and its time evolution by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The presence of iodine 3d{sub 5/2} and 3d{sub 3/2} peaks in the pPTh sample after absorption was identified by XPS spectroscopy. The hydrophobic pPTh film is transformed in a super hydrophilic film after absorption of iodine vapors. - Highlights: • We obtained polythiophene films (pPTh) by atmospheric pressure plasma technique. • The pPTh films showed a hydrophobic character and conducting properties. • The pPTh films were used as sensor for iodine vapors in biological environment.

Large area atmospheric-pressure plasma jet

Science.gov (United States)

Selwyn, Gary S.; Henins, Ivars; Babayan, Steve E.; Hicks, Robert F.

2001-01-01

Large area atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. A plasma discharge that can be operated at atmospheric pressure and near room temperature using 13.56 MHz rf power is described. Unlike plasma torches, the discharge produces a gas-phase effluent no hotter than 250.degree. C. at an applied power of about 300 W, and shows distinct non-thermal characteristics. In the simplest design, two planar, parallel electrodes are employed to generate a plasma in the volume therebetween. A "jet" of long-lived metastable and reactive species that are capable of rapidly cleaning or etching metals and other materials is generated which extends up to 8 in. beyond the open end of the electrodes. Films and coatings may also be removed by these species. Arcing is prevented in the apparatus by using gas mixtures containing He, which limits ionization, by using high flow velocities, and by properly spacing the rf-powered electrode. Because of the atmospheric pressure operation, there is a negligible density of ions surviving for a sufficiently long distance beyond the active plasma discharge to bombard a workpiece, unlike the situation for low-pressure plasma sources and conventional plasma processing methods.

Unusual neurological syndrome induced by atmospheric pressure change.

Science.gov (United States)

Ptak, Judy A; Yazinski, Nancy A; Block, Clay A; Buckey, Jay C

2013-05-01

We describe a case of a 46-yr-old female who developed hypertension, tachycardia, dysarthria, and leg weakness provoked by pressure changes associated with flying. Typically during the landing phase of flight, she would feel dizzy and note that she had difficulty with speech and leg weakness. After the flight the leg weakness persisted for several days. The symptoms were mitigated when she took a combined alpha-beta blocker (labetalol) prior to the flight. To determine if these symptoms were related to atmospheric pressure change, she was referred for testing in a hyperbaric chamber. She was exposed to elevated atmospheric pressure (maximum 1.2 ATA) while her heart rate and blood pressure were monitored. Within 1 min she developed tachycardia and hypertension. She also quickly developed slurred speech, left arm and leg weakness, and sensory changes in her left leg. She was returned to sea level pressure and her symptoms gradually improved. A full neurological workup has revealed no explanation for these findings. She has no air collections, cysts, or other anatomic findings that could be sensitive to atmospheric pressure change. The pattern is most consistent with a vascular event stimulated by altitude exposure. This case suggests that atmospheric pressure change can produce neurological symptoms, although the mechanism is unknown.

Application of Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma for Polyethylene Powder Modification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pichal, J.; Aubrecht, L.; Pichal, J.; Hladik, J.; Spatenka, P.; Spatenka, P.

2006-01-01

Paper refers about a novel plasma reactor exploiting the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) burning in air at atmospheric pressure by ambient temperature and its usability tests. Test modifications were performed with the high density polyethylene powder Borealis CB 9155-01. Modification effect was evaluated by means of dynamic capillarity rising measurements. Tests proved significant powder capillarity changes. The existence of powder surface changes was also confirmed by ESCA tests. Modification aging effect was remarkably small, hence modification effect is very time stable. In comparison with other in literature described apparatus used for this purpose the plasma reactor is of a simple construction and needs no vacuum equipment. Its operation costs are low. Described plasma modification method seems to be an appropriate method for plasma modification of polyethylene powder on the industrial scale

Deactivation of Streptococcus mutans Biofilms on a Tooth Surface Using He Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molnar Imola; Papp Judit; Simon Alpar; Anghel Sorin Dan

2013-01-01

This paper presents a study of the effect of the low temperature atmospheric helium dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) on the Streptococcus mutans biofilms formed on tooth surface. Pig jaws were also treated by plasma to detect if there is any harmful effect on the gingiva. The plasma was characterized by using optical emission spectroscopy. Experimental data indicated that the discharge is very effective in deactivating Streptococcus mutans biofilms. It can destroy them with an average decimal reduction time (D-time) of 19 s and about 98% of them were killed after a treatment time of 30 s. According to the survival curve kinetic an overall 32 s treatment time would be necessary to perform a complete sterilization. The experimental results presented in this study indicated that the helium dielectric barrier discharge, in plan-parallel electrode configuration, could be a very effective tool for deactivation of oral bacteria and might be a promising technique in various dental clinical applications.

Deactivation of Streptococcus mutans Biofilms on a Tooth Surface Using He Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Imola, Molnar; Judit, Papp; Alpar, Simon; Sorin, Dan Anghel

2013-06-01

This paper presents a study of the effect of the low temperature atmospheric helium dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) on the Streptococcus mutans biofilms formed on tooth surface. Pig jaws were also treated by plasma to detect if there is any harmful effect on the gingiva. The plasma was characterized by using optical emission spectroscopy. Experimental data indicated that the discharge is very effective in deactivating Streptococcus mutans biofilms. It can destroy them with an average decimal reduction time (D-time) of 19 s and about 98% of them were killed after a treatment time of 30 s. According to the survival curve kinetic an overall 32 s treatment time would be necessary to perform a complete sterilization. The experimental results presented in this study indicated that the helium dielectric barrier discharge, in plan-parallel electrode configuration, could be a very effective tool for deactivation of oral bacteria and might be a promising technique in various dental clinical applications.

Atmospheric pressure photoionization using tunable VUV synchrotron radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giuliani, A.; Giorgetta, J.-L.; Ricaud, J.-P.; Jamme, F.; Rouam, V.; Wien, F.; Laprévote, O.; Réfrégiers, M.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Coupling of an atmospheric pressure photoionization source with a vacuum ultra-violet (VUV) beamline. ► The set up allows photoionization up to 20 eV. ► Compared to classical atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), our set up offers spectral purity and tunability. ► Allows photoionization mass spectrometry on fragile and hard to vaporize molecules. - Abstract: We report here the first coupling of an atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) source with a synchrotron radiation beamline in the vacuum ultra-violet (VUV). A commercial APPI source of a QStar Pulsar i from AB Sciex was modified to receive photons from the DISCO beamline at the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility. Photons are delivered at atmospheric pressure in the 4–20 eV range. The advantages of this new set up, termed SR-APPI, over classical APPI are spectral purity and continuous tunability. The technique may also be used to perform tunable photoionization mass spectrometry on fragile compounds difficult to vaporize by classical methods.

Reduced Lung Cancer Mortality With Lower Atmospheric Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Ray M; Frutos, Aaron

2018-01-01

Research has shown that higher altitude is associated with lower risk of lung cancer and improved survival among patients. The current study assessed the influence of county-level atmospheric pressure (a measure reflecting both altitude and temperature) on age-adjusted lung cancer mortality rates in the contiguous United States, with 2 forms of spatial regression. Ordinary least squares regression and geographically weighted regression models were used to evaluate the impact of climate and other selected variables on lung cancer mortality, based on 2974 counties. Atmospheric pressure was significantly positively associated with lung cancer mortality, after controlling for sunlight, precipitation, PM2.5 (µg/m 3 ), current smoker, and other selected variables. Positive county-level β coefficient estimates ( P atmospheric pressure were observed throughout the United States, higher in the eastern half of the country. The spatial regression models showed that atmospheric pressure is positively associated with age-adjusted lung cancer mortality rates, after controlling for other selected variables.

Etching of polymers, proteins and bacterial spores by atmospheric pressure DBD plasma in air

Science.gov (United States)

Kuzminova, A.; Kretková, T.; Kylián, O.; Hanuš, J.; Khalakhan, I.; Prukner, V.; Doležalová, E.; Šimek, M.; Biederman, H.

2017-04-01

Many studies proved that non-equilibrium discharges generated at atmospheric pressure are highly effective for the bio-decontamination of surfaces of various materials. One of the key processes that leads to a desired result is plasma etching and thus the evaluation of etching rates of organic materials is of high importance. However, the comparison of reported results is rather difficult if impossible as different authors use diverse sources of atmospheric plasma that are operated at significantly different operational parameters. Therefore, we report here on the systematic study of the etching of nine different common polymers that mimic the different structures of more complicated biological systems, bovine serum albumin (BSA) selected as the model protein and spores of Bacillus subtilis taken as a representative of highly resistant micro-organisms. The treatment of these materials was performed by means of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) sustained in open air at constant conditions. All tested polymers, BSA and spores, were readily etched by DBD plasma. However, the measured etching rates were found to be dependent on the chemical structure of treated materials, namely on the presence of oxygen in the structure of polymers.

Diagnostics of atmospheric pressure air plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laux, C.O.; Kruger, C.H.; Zare, R.N.

2001-01-01

Atmospheric pressure air plasmas are often thought to be in Local Thermodynamics Equilibrium (LTE) owing to fast interspecies collisional exchanges at high pressure. As will be seen here, this assumption cannot be relied upon, particularly with respect to optical diagnostics. Large velocity gradients in flowing plasmas and/or elevated electron temperatures created by electrical discharges can result in large departures from chemical and thermal equilibrium. Diagnostic techniques based on optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) have been developed and applied at Stanford University to the investigation of atmospheric pressure plasmas under conditions ranging from thermal and chemical equilibrium to thermochemical nonequilibrium. This article presents a review of selected temperature and species concentration measurement techniques useful for the study of air and nitrogen plasmas

Modeling of recovery mechanism of ozone zero phenomenaby adding small amount of nitrogen in atmospheric pressure oxygen dielectric barrier discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Akashi, Haruaki; Yoshinaga, Tomokazu

2013-09-01

Ozone zero phenomena in an atmospheric pressure oxygen dielectric barrier discharges have been one of the major problems during a long time operation of ozone generators. But it is also known that the adding a small amount of nitrogen makes the recover from the ozone zero phenomena. To make clear the mechanism of recovery, authors have been simulated the discharges with using the results of Ref. 3. As a result, the recovery process can be seen and ozone density increased. It is found that the most important species would be nitrogen atoms. The reaction of nitrogen atoms and oxygen molecules makes oxygen atoms which is main precursor species of ozone. This generation of oxygen atoms is effective to increase ozone. The dependence of oxygen atom density (nO) and nitrogen atom density (nN) ratio was examined in this paper. In the condition of low nN/nO ratio case, generation of nitrogen oxide is low, and the quenching of ozone by the nitrogen oxide would be low. But in the high ratio condition, the quenching of ozone by nitrogen oxide would significant. This work was supported by KAKENHI(23560352).

Effects of gas temperature in the plasma layer on RONS generation in array-type dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Sung-Young; Yi, Changho; Eom, Sangheum; Park, Seungil; Kim, Seong Bong; Ryu, Seungmin; Yoo, Suk Jae

2017-12-01

In this work, we studied the control of plasma-produced species under a fixed gas composition (i.e., ambient air) in a 10 kHz-driven array-type dielectric barrier atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge. Instead of the gas composition, only the gas velocity was controlled. Thus, the plasma-maintenance cost was considerably lower than methods such as external N2 or O2 injection. The plasma-produced species were monitored using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The discharge properties were measured using a voltage probe, current probe, infrared camera, and optical emission spectroscopy. The results showed that the major plasma products largely depend on the gas temperature in the plasma discharge layer. The gas temperature in the plasma discharge layer was significantly different to the temperature of the ceramic adjacent to the plasma discharge layer, even in the small discharge power density of ˜15 W/cm2 or ˜100 W/cm3. Because the vibrational excitation of N2 was suppressed by the higher gas flow, the major plasma-produced species shifted from NOx in low flow to O3 in high flow.

Surface treatment of polyethylene terephthalate film using atmospheric pressure glow discharge in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Zhi; Qiu Yuchang; Wang Hui

2004-01-01

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 surface oxygen content of PET surface increases to 39%, and the water contact angle decreases to 19 degree, respectively. (authors)

A Planar Source of Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet

Science.gov (United States)

Zhdanova, O. S.; Kuznetsov, V. S.; Panarin, V. A.; Skakun, V. S.; Sosnin, E. A.; Tarasenko, V. F.

2018-01-01

In a single-barrier discharge with voltage sharpening and low gas consumption (up to 1 L/min), plane atmospheric pressure plasma jets with a width of up to 3 cm and length of up to 4 cm in air are formed in the slit geometry of the discharge zone. The energy, temperature, and spectral characteristics of the obtained jets have been measured. The radiation spectrum contains intense maxima corresponding to vibrational transitions of the second positive system of molecular nitrogen N2 ( C 3Π u → B 3Π g ) and comparatively weak transition lines of the first positive system of the N 2 + ion ( B 2Σ u + → X 2Σ g ). By an example of inactivation of the Staphylococcus aureus culture (strain ATCC 209), it is shown that plasma is a source of chemically active particles providing the inactivation of microorganisms.

Optical diagnostics of atmospheric pressure air plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laux, C O; Spence, T G; Kruger, C H; Zare, R N

2003-01-01

Atmospheric pressure air plasmas are often thought to be in local thermodynamic equilibrium owing to fast interspecies collisional exchange at high pressure. This assumption cannot be relied upon, particularly with respect to optical diagnostics. Velocity gradients in flowing plasmas and/or elevated electron temperatures created by electrical discharges can result in large departures from chemical and thermal equilibrium. This paper reviews diagnostic techniques based on optical emission spectroscopy and cavity ring-down spectroscopy that we have found useful for making temperature and concentration measurements in atmospheric pressure plasmas under conditions ranging from thermal and chemical equilibrium to thermochemical nonequilibrium

Foundations of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Bruggeman, Peter J.; Iza, Felipe; Brandenburg, Ronny

2017-12-01

Non-equilibrium plasmas have been intensively studied over the past century in the context of material processing, environmental remediation, ozone generation, excimer lamps and plasma display panels. Research on atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas intensified over the last two decades leading to a large variety of plasma sources that have been developed for an extended application range including chemical conversion, medicine, chemical analysis and disinfection. The fundamental understanding of these discharges is emerging but there remain a lot of unexplained phenomena in these intrinsically complex plasmas. The properties of non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure span over a huge range of electron densities as well as heavy particle and electron temperatures. This paper provides an overview of the key underlying processes that are important for the generation and stabilization of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas. The unique physical and chemical properties of theses discharges are also summarized.

Seed disinfection effect of atmospheric pressure plasma and low pressure plasma on Rhizoctonia solani.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishioka, Terumi; Takai, Yuichiro; Kawaradani, Mitsuo; Okada, Kiyotsugu; Tanimoto, Hideo; Misawa, Tatsuya; Kusakari, Shinichi

2014-01-01

Gas plasma generated and applied under two different systems, atmospheric pressure plasma and low pressure plasma, was used to investigate the inactivation efficacy on the seedborne pathogenic fungus, Rhizoctonia solani, which had been artificially introduced to brassicaceous seeds. Treatment with atmospheric plasma for 10 min markedly reduced the R. solani survival rate from 100% to 3% but delayed seed germination. The low pressure plasma treatment reduced the fungal survival rate from 83% to 1.7% after 10 min and the inactivation effect was dependent on the treatment time. The seed germination rate after treatment with the low pressure plasma was not significantly different from that of untreated seeds. The air temperature around the seeds in the low pressure system was lower than that of the atmospheric system. These results suggested that gas plasma treatment under low pressure could be effective in disinfecting the seeds without damaging them.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Processing for Polymer Adhesion: A Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro

2014-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma processing has attracted significant interests over decades due to its usefulness and a variety of applications. Adhesion improvement of polymer surfaces is among the most important applications of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment. Reflecting recent significant de...

Adhesion improvement of fibres by continuous plasma treatment at atmospheric pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kusano, Y.; Andersen, Tom L.; Soerensen, B.F.; Toftegaard, H.L.; Teodoru, S. [Technical Univ. of Denmark. DTU Wind Energy, Risoe Campus, Roskilde (Denmark); Hansen, Charles M. [Hoersholm (Denmark)

2013-09-01

Carbon fibres and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibres were continuously treated by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure for adhesion improvement with epoxy resins. The plasma treatment improved wettability, increased the oxygen containing polar functional groups at the surface, and subsequently improved adhesion to the epoxy and fracture resistance of epoxy composites. Hansen solubility parameters (HSP), quantitatively describing physical interactions among molecules, were measured for the UHMWPE fibre surfaces. The result identifies two distinct types of surfaces in both the plasma treated and the untreated fibres. One type is typical of polyethylene polymers while the other is characteristic of the oxygenated surface at much higher values of HSP. (Author)

Atmospheric-pressure plasma activation and surface characterization on polyethylene membrane separator

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Yu-Chien; Li, Hsiao-Ling; Huang, Chun

2017-01-01

The surface hydrophilic activation of a polyethylene membrane separator was achieved using an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet. The surface of the atmospheric-pressure-plasma-treated membrane separator was found to be highly hydrophilic realized by adjusting the plasma power input. The variations in membrane separator chemical structure were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Chemical analysis showed newly formed carbonyl-containing groups and high surface concentrations of oxygen-containing species on the atmospheric-pressure-plasma-treated polymeric separator surface. It also showed that surface hydrophilicity primarily increased from the polar component after atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment. The surface and pore structures of the polyethylene membrane separator were examined by scanning electron microscopy, revealing a slight alteration in the pore structure. As a result of the incorporation of polar functionalities by atmospheric-pressure plasma activation, the electrolyte uptake and electrochemical impedance of the atmospheric-pressure-plasma-treated membrane separator improved. The investigational results show that the separator surface can be controlled by atmospheric-pressure plasma surface treatment to tailor the hydrophilicity and enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries.

DC-pulse atmospheric-pressure plasma jet and dielectric barrier discharge surface treatments on fluorine-doped tin oxide for perovskite solar cell application

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Jui-Hsuan; Cheng, I.-Chun; Hsu, Cheng-Che; Chen, Jian-Zhang

2018-01-01

Nitrogen DC-pulse atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and nitrogen dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) were applied to pre-treat fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass substrates for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Nitrogen DC-pulse APPJ treatment (substrate temperature: ~400 °C) for 10 s can effectively increase the wettability, whereas nitrogen DBD treatment (maximum substrate temperature: ~140 °C) achieved limited improvement in wettability even with increased treatment time of 60 s. XPS results indicate that 10 s APPJ, 60 s DBD, and 15 min UV-ozone treatment of FTO glass substrates can decontaminate the surface. A PSC fabricated on APPJ-treated FTO showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.90%; by contrast, a PSC with nitrogen DBD-treated FTO shows slightly lower PCE of 12.57% which was comparable to that of a PSC on FTO treated by a 15 min UV-ozone process. Both nitrogen DC-pulse APPJ and nitrogen DBD can decontaminate FTO substrates and can be applied for the substrate cleaning step of PSC.

On OH production in water containing atmospheric pressure plasmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruggeman, P.J.; Schram, D.C.

2010-01-01

In this paper radical production in atmospheric pressure water containing plasmas is discussed. As OH is often an important radical in these discharges the paper focuses on OH production. Besides nanosecond pulsed coronas and diffusive glow discharges, several other atmospheric pressure plasmas

Decontamination of a rotating cutting tool during operation by means of atmospheric pressure plasmas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leipold, Frank; Kusano, Yukihiro; Hansen, F.

2010-01-01

, is used for the experiments. A rotating knife was inoculated with L. innocua. The surface of the rotating knife was partly exposed to an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge operated in air, where the knife itself served as a ground electrode. The rotation of the knife ensures a treatment...... of the whole cutting tool. A log 5 reduction of L. innocua is obtained after 340 s of plasma operation. The temperature of the knife after treatment was found to be below 30 °C. The design of the setup allows a decontamination during slicing operation....

Numerical study of the influence of dielectric tube on propagation of atmospheric pressure plasma jet based on coplanar dielectric barrier discharge

Science.gov (United States)

Haixin, HU; Feng, HE; Ping, ZHU; Jiting, OUYANG

2018-05-01

A 2D fluid model was employed to simulate the influence of dielectric on the propagation of atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet based on coplanar dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The spatio-temporal distributions of electron density, ionization rate, electrical field, spatial charge and the spatial structure were obtained for different dielectric tubes that limit the helium flow. The results show that the change of the relative permittivity of the dielectric tube where the plasma jet travels inside has no influence on the formation of DBD itself, but has great impact on the jet propagation. The velocity of the plasma jet changes drastically when the jet passes from a tube of higher permittivity to one of lower permittivity, resulting in an increase in jet length, ionization rate and electric field, as well as a change in the distribution of space charges and discharge states. The radius of the dielectric tube has a great influence on the ring-shaped or solid bullet structure. These results can well explain the behavior of the plasma jet from the dielectric tube into the ambient air and the hollow bullet in experiments.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Zhi; Qiu Yuchang; Wang Hui; Kuffel, E

2007-01-01

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 CH 3 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

Ultrasound enhanced plasma surface modification at atmospheric pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Singh, Shailendra Vikram; Norrman, Kion

2012-01-01

Efficiency of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment can be highly enhanced by simultaneous high power ultrasonic irradiation onto the treating surface. It is because ultrasonic waves with a sound pressure level (SPL) above ∼140 dB can reduce the thickness of a boundary gas layer between the plasma...... arc at atmospheric pressure to study adhesion improvement. The effect of ultrasonic irradiation with the frequency diapason between 20 and 40 kHz at the SPL of ∼150 dB was investigated. After the plasma treatment without ultrasonic irradiation, the wettability was significantly improved...

Atmospheric pressure DBD gun and its application in ink printability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Qiang; Zhang Yuefei; Han Erli; Ge Yuanjing

2005-01-01

In this paper, a plasma source discharging at atmospheric pressure and its characterization diagnosed by a Langmuir probe and a digital camera are presented. As an application the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) gun modifying an ultraviolet cured resin surface for ink printability is reported. The results from the digital camera indicate the uniformity and homogeneity of the plasma generated from the gun in the downstream but depending on the input power, diameter of electrodes, gas flow rates and the distance between the substrates and the nozzle. The contact angle measurement proves the efficiency of gun during the surface modification. The ink printability following DBD gun processing described here was significantly improved. The performed surface analysis using Fourier transform infrared indicates that the polarity of surface grafted in plasma is responsible for the film printability

Temperature-independent fiber-Bragg-grating-based atmospheric pressure sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhiguo; Shen, Chunyan; Li, Luming

2018-03-01

Atmospheric pressure is an important way to achieve a high degree of measurement for modern aircrafts, moreover, it is also an indispensable parameter in the meteorological telemetry system. With the development of society, people are increasingly concerned about the weather. Accurate and convenient atmospheric pressure parameters can provide strong support for meteorological analysis. However, electronic atmospheric pressure sensors currently in application suffer from several shortcomings. After an analysis and discussion, we propose an innovative structural design, in which a vacuum membrane box and a temperature-independent strain sensor based on an equal strength cantilever beam structure and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are used. We provide experimental verification of that the atmospheric pressure sensor device has the characteristics of a simple structure, lack of an external power supply, automatic temperature compensation, and high sensitivity. The sensor system has good sensitivity, which can be up to 100 nm/MPa, and repeatability. In addition, the device exhibits desired hysteresis.

Characterization of pulsed atmospheric-pressure plasma streams (PAPS) generated by a plasma gun

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, E.; Sarron, V.; Riès, D.; Dozias, S.; Vandamme, M.; Pouvesle, J.-M.

2012-06-01

An experimental study of atmospheric-pressure rare gas plasma propagation in a high-aspect-ratio capillary is reported. The plasma is generated with a plasma gun device based on a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor powered by either nanosecond or microsecond rise-time high-voltage pulses at single-shot to multi-kHz frequencies. The influence of the voltage waveform, pulse polarity, pulse repetition rate and capillary material have been studied using nanosecond intensified charge-coupled device imaging and plasma-front velocity measurements. The evolution of the plasma appearance during its propagation and the study of the role of the different experimental parameters lead us to suggest a new denomination of pulsed atmospheric-pressure plasma streams to describe all the plasma features, including the previously so-called plasma bullet. The unique properties of such non-thermal plasma launching in capillaries, far from the primary DBD plasma, are associated with a fast ionization wave travelling with velocity in the 107-108 cm s-1 range. Voltage pulse tailoring is shown to allow for a significant improvement of such plasma delivery. Thus, the plasma gun device affords unique opportunities in biomedical endoscopic applications.

Characterization of pulsed atmospheric-pressure plasma streams (PAPS) generated by a plasma gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robert, E; Sarron, V; Riès, D; Dozias, S; Vandamme, M; Pouvesle, J-M

2012-01-01

An experimental study of atmospheric-pressure rare gas plasma propagation in a high-aspect-ratio capillary is reported. The plasma is generated with a plasma gun device based on a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor powered by either nanosecond or microsecond rise-time high-voltage pulses at single-shot to multi-kHz frequencies. The influence of the voltage waveform, pulse polarity, pulse repetition rate and capillary material have been studied using nanosecond intensified charge-coupled device imaging and plasma-front velocity measurements. The evolution of the plasma appearance during its propagation and the study of the role of the different experimental parameters lead us to suggest a new denomination of pulsed atmospheric-pressure plasma streams to describe all the plasma features, including the previously so-called plasma bullet. The unique properties of such non-thermal plasma launching in capillaries, far from the primary DBD plasma, are associated with a fast ionization wave travelling with velocity in the 10 7 –10 8 cm s −1 range. Voltage pulse tailoring is shown to allow for a significant improvement of such plasma delivery. Thus, the plasma gun device affords unique opportunities in biomedical endoscopic applications. (paper)

Evaluation of the impact of atmospheric pressure in different seasons on blood pressure in patients with arterial hypertension.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamiński, Marek; Cieślik-Guerra, Urszula I; Kotas, Rafał; Mazur, Piotr; Marańda, Witold; Piotrowicz, Maciej; Sakowicz, Bartosz; Napieralski, Andrzej; Trzos, Ewa; Uznańska-Loch, Barbara; Rechciński, Tomasz; Kurpesa, Małgorzata

2016-01-01

Atmospheric pressure is the most objective weather factor because regardless of if outdoors or indoors it affects all objects in the same way. The majority of previous studies have used the average daily values of atmospheric pressure in a bioclimatic analysis and have found no correlation with blood pressure changes. The main objective of our research was to assess the relationship between atmospheric pressure recorded with a frequency of 1 measurement per minute and the results of 24-h blood pressure monitoring in patients with treated hypertension in different seasons in the moderate climate of the City of Łódź (Poland). The study group consisted of 1662 patients, divided into 2 equal groups (due to a lower and higher average value of atmospheric pressure). Comparisons between blood pressure values in the 2 groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test. We observed a significant difference in blood pressure recorded during the lower and higher range of atmospheric pressure: on the days of the spring months systolic (p = 0.043) and diastolic (p = 0.005) blood pressure, and at nights of the winter months systolic blood pressure (p = 0.013). A significant inverse relationship between atmospheric pressure and blood pressure during the spring days and, only for systolic blood pressure, during winter nights was observed. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(5):783-792. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

Atmospheric pressure plasma assisted calcination by the preparation of TiO2 fibers in submicron scale

Science.gov (United States)

Medvecká, Veronika; Kováčik, Dušan; Zahoranová, Anna; Černák, Mirko

2018-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma assisted calcination by the preparation of TiO2 submicron fibers as a low-temperature alternative to the conventional thermal annealing was studied. A special type of dielectric barrier discharge was used for plasma treatment of hybrid titanium butoxide/polyvinylpyrrolidone (Ti(Bu)/PVP) fibers prepared by forcespinning to decompose and oxidize the base polymer and precursor. The obtained fibers were characterized by changes in chemical bonds on the surface using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), chemical composition by using Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The morphology of fibers was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). A significant decrease of organic components was reached by short plasma exposure times less than 1 h. The obtained fibers exhibit a high surface porosity without degradation of the fibrous structure. The results obtained indicate that atmospheric pressure plasma assisted calcination can be a viable low-temperature, energy- and time-saving alternative or pre-treatment method for the conventional high-temperature thermal calcination.

Period multiplication and chaotic phenomena in atmospheric dielectric-barrier glow discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Y. H.; Zhang, Y. T.; Wang, D. Z.; Kong, M. G.

2007-01-01

In this letter, evidence of temporal plasma nonlinearity in which atmospheric dielectric-barrier discharges undergo period multiplication and chaos using a one-dimensional fluid model is reported. Under the conditions conducive for chaotic states, several frequency windows are identified in which period multiplication and secondary bifurcations are observed. Such time-domain nonlinearity is important for controlling instabilities in atmospheric glow discharges

Effect of near atmospheric pressure nitrogen plasma treatment on Pt/ZnO interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagata, Takahiro; Haemori, Masamitsu; Chikyow, Toyohiro; Yamashita, Yoshiyuki; Yoshikawa, Hideki; Kobayashi, Keisuke; Uehara, Tsuyoshi

2012-01-01

The effect of near atmospheric pressure nitrogen plasma (NAP) treatment of platinum (Pt)/zinc oxide (ZnO) interface was investigated. NAP can nitride the ZnO surface at even room temperature. Hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that NAP treatment reduced the surface electron accumulation at the ZnO surface and inhibited the Zn diffusion into the Pt electrode, which are critical issues affecting the Schottky barrier height and the ideality factor of the Pt/ZnO structure. After NAP treatment, the Pt Schottky contact indicated an improvement of electrical properties. NAP treatment is effective for the surface passivation and the Schottky contact formation of ZnO.

Role of structural barriers for carotenoid bioaccessibility upon high pressure homogenization.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmero, Paola; Panozzo, Agnese; Colle, Ines; Chigwedere, Claire; Hendrickx, Marc; Van Loey, Ann

2016-05-15

A specific approach to investigate the effect of high pressure homogenization on the carotenoid bioaccessibility in tomato-based products was developed. Six different tomato-based model systems were reconstituted in order to target the specific role of the natural structural barriers (chromoplast substructure/cell wall) and of the phases (soluble/insoluble) in determining the carotenoid bioaccessibility and viscosity changes upon high pressure homogenization. Results indicated that in the absence of natural structural barriers (carotenoid enriched oil), the soluble and insoluble phases determined the carotenoid bioaccessibility upon processing whereas, in their presence, these barriers governed the bioaccessibility. Furthermore, it was shown that the increment of the viscosity upon high pressure homogenization is determined by the presence of insoluble phase, however, this result was related to the initial ratio of the soluble:insoluble phases in the system. In addition, no relationship between the changes in viscosity and carotenoid bioaccessibility upon high pressure homogenization was found. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of a dielectric barrier discharge in controlled atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Kogelheide, Friederike; Offerhaus, Björn; Bibinov, Nikita; Bracht, Vera; Smith, Ryan; Lackmann, Jan-Wilm; Awakowicz, Peter; Stapelmann, Katharina; Bimap Team; Aept Team

2016-09-01

Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasmas are advantageous for various biomedical applications as they make a contact- and painless therapy possible. Due to the potential medical relevance of such plasma sources further understanding of the chemical and physical impact on biological tissue regarding the efficacy and health-promoting effect is necessary. The knowledge of properties and effects offers the possibility to configure plasmas free of risk for humans. Therefore, tailoring the discharge chemistry in regard to resulting oxidative and nitrosative effects on biological tissue by adjusting different parameters is of growing interest. In order to ensure stable conditions for the characterization of the discharge, the used dielectric barrier discharge was mounted in a vessel. Absolutely calibrated optical emission spectroscopy was carried out to analyze the electron density and the reduced electric field. The rather oxygen-based discharge was tuned towards a more nitrogen-based discharge by adjusting several parameters as reactive nitrogen species are known to promote wound healing. Furthermore, the impact of an ozone-free discharge has to be studied. This work was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with the packet grant PAK 816 `Plasma Cell Interaction in Dermatology'.

Atmospheric pressure plasma-assisted femtosecond laser engraving of aluminium

Science.gov (United States)

Gerhard, Christoph; Gimpel, Thomas; Tasche, Daniel; Koch née Hoffmeister, Jennifer; Brückner, Stephan; Flachenecker, Günter; Wieneke, Stephan; Schade, Wolfgang; Viöl, Wolfgang

2018-05-01

In this contribution, we report on the impact of direct dielectric barrier discharge argon plasma at atmospheric pressure on femtosecond laser engraving of aluminium. It is shown that the assisting plasma strongly affects the surface geometry and formation of spikes of both laser-engraved single lines and patterns of adjacent lines with an appropriate overlap. Further, it was observed that the overall ablation depth is significantly increased in case of large-scale patterning whereas no notable differences in ablation depth are found for single lines. Several possible mechanisms and underlying effects of this behaviour are suggested. The increase in ablation depth is supposed to be due to a plasma-induced removal of debris particles from the cutting point via charging and oxidation as supported by EDX analysis of the re-solidified debris. Furthermore, the impact of a higher degree of surface wrinkling as well as direct interactions of plasma species with the aluminium surface on the ablation process are discussed.

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2015-07-22

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow and pressure were investigated by a series of experiments conducted in an especially built wind tunnel in Lhasa, a city on the Tibetan plateau where the altitude is 3650 m and the atmospheric pressure condition is naturally low (64 kPa). These results were compared with results obtained from a wind tunnel at standard atmospheric pressure (100 kPa) in Hefei city (altitude 50 m). The size of the fuel nozzles used in the experiments ranged from 3 to 8 mm in diameter and propane was used as the fuel. It was found that the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow first increased (“cross flow dominant” regime) and then decreased (“fuel jet dominant” regime) as the fuel jet velocity increased in both pressures; however, the blow-out limit of the air speed of the cross flow was much lower at sub-atmospheric pressure than that at standard atmospheric pressure whereas the domain of the blow-out limit curve (in a plot of the air speed of the cross flow versus the fuel jet velocity) shrank as the pressure decreased. A theoretical model was developed to characterize the blow-out limit of nonpremixed jet flames in a cross flow based on a Damköhler number, defined as the ratio between the mixing time and the characteristic reaction time. A satisfactory correlation was obtained at relative strong cross flow conditions (“cross flow dominant” regime) that included the effects of the air speed of the cross flow, fuel jet velocity, nozzle diameter and pressure.

Ultrasound enhanced plasma treatment of glass-fibre-reinforced polyester in atmospheric pressure air for adhesion improvement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Singh, Shailendra Vikram; Norrman, Kion

2011-01-01

A glass-fibre-reinforced polyester (GFRP) plate was treated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure in air for adhesion improvement. The effects of ultrasonic irradiation using a high-power gas-jet generator during the treatment were investigated. The optical emission...... damage of the GFRP plates. The polar component of the surface energy of the polyester plate was 21 mJ/m2 before the treatment, increased markedly to 52 mJ/m2 after 2-s plasma treatment without ultrasonic irradiation, and further increased slightly after longer treatments. In addition, the polar component...

Atmospheric-pressure electric discharge as an instrument of chemical activation of water solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Rybkin, V. V.; Shutov, D. A.

2017-11-01

Results of experimental studies and numerical simulations of physicochemical characteristics of plasmas generated in different types of atmospheric-pressure discharges (pulsed streamer corona, gliding electric arc, dielectric barrier discharge, glow-discharge electrolysis, diaphragmatic discharge, and dc glow discharge) used to initiate various chemical processes in water solutions are analyzed. Typical reactor designs are considered. Data on the power supply characteristics, plasma electron parameters, gas temperatures, and densities of active particles in different types of discharges excited in different gases and their dependences on the external parameters of discharges are presented. The chemical composition of active particles formed in water is described. Possible mechanisms of production and loss of plasma particles are discussed.

Study of geometrical and operational parameters controlling the low frequency microjet atmospheric pressure plasma characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dan Bee; Rhee, J. K.; Moon, S. Y.; Choe, W.

2006-01-01

Controllability of small size atmospheric pressure plasma generated at low frequency in a pin to dielectric plane electrode configuration was studied. It was shown that the plasma characteristics could be controlled by geometrical and operational parameters of the experiment. Under most circumstances, continuous glow discharges were observed, but both the corona and/or the dielectric barrier discharge characteristics were observed depending on the position of the pin electrode. The plasma size and the rotational temperature were also varied by the parameters. The rotational temperature was between 300 and 490 K, being low enough to treat thermally sensitive materials

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in a cross flow at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Yoon, Sung Hwan; Lu, Shouxiang; Delichatsios, Michael; Chung, Suk-Ho

2015-01-01

The blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in cross flows were studied, especially concerning the effect of ambient pressure, by conducting experiments at atmospheric and sub-atmospheric pressures. The combined effects of air flow

Is the perception of time pressure a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity among women?

Science.gov (United States)

Welch, Nicky; McNaughton, Sarah A; Hunter, Wendy; Hume, Clare; Crawford, David

2009-07-01

To describe the proportion of women reporting time is a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity, the characteristics of these women and the perceived causes of time pressure, and to examine associations between perceptions of time as a barrier and consumption of fruit, vegetables and fast food, and physical activity. A cross-sectional survey of food intake, physical activity and perceived causes of time pressure. A randomly selected community sample. A sample of 1580 women self-reported their food intake and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to healthy eating. An additional 1521 women self-reported their leisure-time physical activity and their perceptions of the causes of time pressure in relation to physical activity. Time pressure was reported as a barrier to healthy eating by 41% of the women and as a barrier to physical activity by 73%. Those who reported time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating were significantly less likely to meet fruit, vegetable and physical activity recommendations, and more likely to eat fast food more frequently. Women reporting time pressure as a barrier to healthy eating and physical activity are less likely to meet recommendations than are women who do not see time pressure as a barrier. Further research is required to understand the perception of time pressure issues among women and devise strategies to improve women's food and physical activity behaviours.

Infrared laser ablation atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaikkinen, Anu; Shrestha, Bindesh; Kauppila, Tiina J; Vertes, Akos; Kostiainen, Risto

2012-02-07

In this paper we introduce laser ablation atmospheric pressure photoionization (LAAPPI), a novel atmospheric pressure ion source for mass spectrometry. In LAAPPI the analytes are ablated from water-rich solid samples or from aqueous solutions with an infrared (IR) laser running at 2.94 μm wavelength. Approximately 12 mm above the sample surface, the ablation plume is intercepted with an orthogonal hot solvent (e.g., toluene or anisole) jet, which is generated by a heated nebulizer microchip and directed toward the mass spectrometer inlet. The ablated analytes are desolvated and ionized in the gas-phase by atmospheric pressure photoionization using a 10 eV vacuum ultraviolet krypton discharge lamp. The effect of operational parameters and spray solvent on the performance of LAAPPI is studied. LAAPPI offers ~300 μm lateral resolution comparable to, e.g., matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization. In addition to polar compounds, LAAPPI efficiently ionizes neutral and nonpolar compounds. The bioanalytical application of the method is demonstrated by the direct LAAPPI analysis of rat brain tissue sections and sour orange (Citrus aurantium) leaves. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Origin of fluctuations in atmospheric pressure arc plasma devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghorui, S.; Das, A.K.

2004-01-01

Fluctuations in arc plasma devices are extremely important for any technological application in thermal plasma. The origin of such fluctuations remains unexplained. This paper presents a theory for observed fluctuations in atmospheric pressure arc plasma devices. A qualitative explanation for observed behavior on atmospheric pressure arc plasma fluctuations, reported in the literature, can be obtained from the theory. The potential of the theory is demonstrated through comparison of theoretical predictions with reported experimental observations

Ozone production in a dielectric barrier discharge with ultrasonic irradiation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drews, Joanna Maria; Kusano, Yukihiro; Leipold, Frank

2011-01-01

Ozone production has been investigated using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in pure O2 at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation. It was driven at a frequency of either 15 kHz or 40 kHz. The ozone production was highly dependent on the O2 flow rate and the ......Ozone production has been investigated using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge in pure O2 at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation. It was driven at a frequency of either 15 kHz or 40 kHz. The ozone production was highly dependent on the O2 flow rate...

The impact of relative humidity and atmospheric pressure on mortality in Guangzhou, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Chun Quan; Yang, Jun; Ou, Qiao Qun; Liu, Hua Zhang; Lin, Guo Zhen; Chen, Ping Yan; Qian, Jun; Guo, Yu Ming

2014-12-01

Although many studies have examined the effects of ambient temperatures on mortality, little evidence is on health impacts of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity. This study aimed to assess the impacts of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity on mortality in Guangzhou, China. This study included 213,737 registered deaths during 2003-2011 in Guangzhou, China. A quasi-Poisson regression with a distributed lag non-linear model was used to assess the effects of atmospheric pressure/relative humidity. We found significant effect of low atmospheric pressure/relative humidity on mortality. There was a 1.79% (95% confidence interval: 0.38%-3.22%) increase in non-accidental mortality and a 2.27% (0.07%-4.51%) increase in cardiovascular mortality comparing the 5th and 25th percentile of atmospheric pressure. A 3.97% (0.67%-7.39%) increase in cardiovascular mortality was also observed comparing the 5th and 25th percentile of relative humidity. Women were more vulnerable to decrease in atmospheric pressure and relative humidity than men. Age and education attainment were also potential effect modifiers. Furthermore, low atmospheric pressure and relative humidity increased temperature-related mortality. Both low atmospheric pressure and relative humidity are important risk factors of mortality. Our findings would be helpful to develop health risk assessment and climate policy interventions that would better protect vulnerable subgroups of the population. Copyright © 2014 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

On the permanent hip-stabilizing effect of atmospheric pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Prietzel, Torsten; Hammer, Niels; Schleifenbaum, Stefan; Kaßebaum, Eric; Farag, Mohamed; von Salis-Soglio, Georg

2014-08-22

Hip joint dislocations related to total hip arthroplasty (THA) are a common complication especially in the early postoperative course. The surgical approach, the alignment of the prosthetic components, the range of motion and the muscle tone are known factors influencing the risk of dislocation. A further factor that is discussed until today is atmospheric pressure which is not taken into account in the present THA concepts. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of atmospheric pressure on hip joint stability. Five joint models (Ø 28-44 mm), consisting of THA components were hermetically sealed with a rubber capsule, filled with a defined amount of fluid and exposed to varying ambient pressure. Displacement and pressure sensors were used to record the extent of dislocation related to intraarticular and ambient pressure. In 200 experiments spontaneous dislocations of the different sized joint models were reliably observed once the ambient pressure was lower than 6.0 kPa. Increasing the ambient pressure above 6.0 kPa immediately and persistently reduced the joint models until the ambient pressure was lowered again. Displacement always exceeded half the diameter of the joint model and was independent of gravity effects. This experimental study gives strong evidence that the hip joint is permanently stabilized by atmospheric pressure, confirming the theories of Weber and Weber (1836). On basis of these findings the use of larger prosthetic heads, capsular repair and the deployment of an intracapsular Redon drain are proposed to substantially decrease the risk of dislocation after THA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is atmospheric pressure change an Independent risk factor for hemoptysis?

Science.gov (United States)

Araz, Omer; Ucar, Elif Yilmazel; Akgun, Metin; Aydin, Yener; Meral, Mehmet; Saglam, Leyla; Kaynar, Hasan; Gorguner, Ali Metin

2014-05-01

Hemoptysis is one of the most important and challenging symptoms in pulmonary medicine. Because of the increased number of patients with hemoptysis in certain periods of the year, we aimed to investigate whether atmospheric changes have an effect on the development of hemoptysis with or without a secondary cause. The data of patients presenting with hemoptysis between January 2006 and December 2011 were analyzed. Data on the daily atmospheric pressure (hectopascal, hPa), relative humidity (%), and temperature ((o) C) during that time were obtained. A total of 232 patients with hemoptysis, 145 male (62.5%) and 87 female (37.5%) with an average age of 48.1(±17.6), were admitted to our hospital between 2006 and 2011. The highest admission rates were in the spring season, the highest in May (n=37, 15.9%), and the lowest admission rates were in December (n=10, 4.3%). A statistically significant negative correlation was found between the number of hemoptysis cases and mean atmospheric pressure but no relative humidity or outdoor temperature. Hemoptysis is very much influenced by weather factors; in particular, low atmospheric pressures significantly affect the development of hemoptysis. Fluctuations in atmospheric pressure may also play a role in hemoptysis.

Gas chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (GC-API-MS): review.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Du-Xin; Gan, Lin; Bronja, Amela; Schmitz, Oliver J

2015-09-03

Although the coupling of GC/MS with atmospheric pressure ionization (API) has been reported in 1970s, the interest in coupling GC with atmospheric pressure ion source was expanded in the last decade. The demand of a "soft" ion source for preserving highly diagnostic molecular ion is desirable, as compared to the "hard" ionization technique such as electron ionization (EI) in traditional GC/MS, which fragments the molecule in an extensive way. These API sources include atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI), electrospray ionization (ESI) and low temperature plasma (LTP). This review discusses the advantages and drawbacks of this analytical platform. After an introduction in atmospheric pressure ionization the review gives an overview about the history and explains the mechanisms of various atmospheric pressure ionization techniques used in combination with GC such as APCI, APPI, APLI, ESI and LTP. Also new developments made in ion source geometry, ion source miniaturization and multipurpose ion source constructions are discussed and a comparison between GC-FID, GC-EI-MS and GC-API-MS shows the advantages and drawbacks of these techniques. The review ends with an overview of applications realized with GC-API-MS. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Simulation Tool for Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators at Atmospheric and Sub-Atmospheric Pressures, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Traditional approaches for active flow separation control using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators are limited to relatively low-speed flows and...

Atmospheric pressure ionization-tandem mass spectrometry of the phenicol drug family.

Science.gov (United States)

Alechaga, Élida; Moyano, Encarnación; Galceran, M Teresa

2013-11-01

In this work, the mass spectrometry behaviour of the veterinary drug family of phenicols, including chloramphenicol (CAP) and its related compounds thiamphenicol (TAP), florfenicol (FF) and FF amine (FFA), was studied. Several atmospheric pressure ionization sources, electrospray (ESI), atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization were compared. In all atmospheric pressure ionization sources, CAP, TAP and FF were ionized in both positive and negative modes; while for the metabolite FFA, only positive ionization was possible. In general, in positive mode, [M + H](+) dominated the mass spectrum for FFA, while the other compounds, CAP, TAP and FF, with lower proton affinity showed intense adducts with species present in the mobile phase. In negative mode, ESI and atmospheric pressure photoionization showed the deprotonated molecule [M-H](-), while atmospheric pressure chemical ionization provided the radical molecular ion by electron capture. All these ions were characterized by tandem mass spectrometry using the combined information obtained by multistage mass spectrometry and high-resolution mass spectrometry in a quadrupole-Orbitrap instrument. In general, the fragmentation occurred via cyclization and losses or fragmentation of the N-(alkyl)acetamide group, and common fragmentation pathways were established for this family of compounds. A new chemical structure for the product ion at m/z 257 for CAP, on the basis of the MS(3) and MS(4) spectra is proposed. Thermally assisted ESI and selected reaction monitoring are proposed for the determination of these compounds by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry, achieving instrumental detection limits down to 0.1 pg. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Gas chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (GC-API-MS): Review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Du-Xin; Gan, Lin; Bronja, Amela; Schmitz, Oliver J.

2015-01-01

Although the coupling of GC/MS with atmospheric pressure ionization (API) has been reported in 1970s, the interest in coupling GC with atmospheric pressure ion source was expanded in the last decade. The demand of a “soft” ion source for preserving highly diagnostic molecular ion is desirable, as compared to the “hard” ionization technique such as electron ionization (EI) in traditional GC/MS, which fragments the molecule in an extensive way. These API sources include atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI), electrospray ionization (ESI) and low temperature plasma (LTP). This review discusses the advantages and drawbacks of this analytical platform. After an introduction in atmospheric pressure ionization the review gives an overview about the history and explains the mechanisms of various atmospheric pressure ionization techniques used in combination with GC such as APCI, APPI, APLI, ESI and LTP. Also new developments made in ion source geometry, ion source miniaturization and multipurpose ion source constructions are discussed and a comparison between GC-FID, GC-EI-MS and GC-API-MS shows the advantages and drawbacks of these techniques. The review ends with an overview of applications realized with GC-API-MS. - Highlights: • Atmospheric pressure ion sources (APCI, ESI, APPI, APLC etc) enable the coupling of LC-based high-end MS to GC. • APIs show advantages in selectivity and sensitivity compared with EI in GC-MS. • Accurate mass database in GC-APCI/MS is emerging as an alternative to GC-EI/MS database.

Gas chromatography coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry (GC-API-MS): Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Du-Xin; Gan, Lin; Bronja, Amela [University of Duisburg-Essen, Applied Analytical Chemistry, Universitaetsstr. 5-7, 45141 Essen (Germany); Schmitz, Oliver J., E-mail: oliver.schmitz@uni-due.de [University of Duisburg-Essen, Applied Analytical Chemistry, Universitaetsstr. 5-7, 45141 Essen (Germany)

2015-09-03

Although the coupling of GC/MS with atmospheric pressure ionization (API) has been reported in 1970s, the interest in coupling GC with atmospheric pressure ion source was expanded in the last decade. The demand of a “soft” ion source for preserving highly diagnostic molecular ion is desirable, as compared to the “hard” ionization technique such as electron ionization (EI) in traditional GC/MS, which fragments the molecule in an extensive way. These API sources include atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI), atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI), atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI), electrospray ionization (ESI) and low temperature plasma (LTP). This review discusses the advantages and drawbacks of this analytical platform. After an introduction in atmospheric pressure ionization the review gives an overview about the history and explains the mechanisms of various atmospheric pressure ionization techniques used in combination with GC such as APCI, APPI, APLI, ESI and LTP. Also new developments made in ion source geometry, ion source miniaturization and multipurpose ion source constructions are discussed and a comparison between GC-FID, GC-EI-MS and GC-API-MS shows the advantages and drawbacks of these techniques. The review ends with an overview of applications realized with GC-API-MS. - Highlights: • Atmospheric pressure ion sources (APCI, ESI, APPI, APLC etc) enable the coupling of LC-based high-end MS to GC. • APIs show advantages in selectivity and sensitivity compared with EI in GC-MS. • Accurate mass database in GC-APCI/MS is emerging as an alternative to GC-EI/MS database.

Atmospheric-pressure plasma decontamination/sterilization chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Herrmann, Hans W.; Selwyn, Gary S.

2001-01-01

An atmospheric-pressure plasma decontamination/sterilization chamber is described. The apparatus is useful for decontaminating sensitive equipment and materials, such as electronics, optics and national treasures, which have been contaminated with chemical and/or biological warfare agents, such as anthrax, mustard blistering agent, VX nerve gas, and the like. There is currently no acceptable procedure for decontaminating such equipment. The apparatus may also be used for sterilization in the medical and food industries. Items to be decontaminated or sterilized are supported inside the chamber. Reactive gases containing atomic and metastable oxygen species are generated by an atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge in a He/O.sub.2 mixture and directed into the region of these items resulting in chemical reaction between the reactive species and organic substances. This reaction typically kills and/or neutralizes the contamination without damaging most equipment and materials. The plasma gases are recirculated through a closed-loop system to minimize the loss of helium and the possibility of escape of aerosolized harmful substances.

Effects of N2O and O2 addition to nitrogen Townsend dielectric barrier discharges at atmospheric pressure on the absolute ground-state atomic nitrogen density

KAUST Repository

Es-sebbar, Et-touhami

2012-11-27

Absolute ground-state density of nitrogen atoms N (2p3 4S3/2) in non-equilibrium Townsend dielectric barrier discharges (TDBDs) at atmospheric pressure sustained in N2/N2O and N2/O2 gas mixtures has been measured using Two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF) spectroscopy. The quantitative measurements have been obtained by TALIF calibration using krypton as a reference gas. We previously reported that the maximum of N (2p3 4S3/2) atom density is around 3 × 1014 cm-3 in pure nitrogen TDBD, and that this maximum depends strongly on the mean energy dissipated in the gas. In the two gas mixtures studied here, results show that the absolute N (2p3 4S3/2) density is strongly affected by the N2O and O2 addition. Indeed, the density still increases exponentially with the energy dissipated in the gas but an increase in N2O and O2 amounts (a few hundreds of ppm) leads to a decrease in nitrogen atom density. No discrepancy in the order of magnitude of N (2p3 4S3/2) density is observed when comparing results obtained in N2/N2O and N2/O2 mixtures. Compared with pure nitrogen, for an energy of ∼90 mJ cm-3, the maximum of N (2p3 4S3/2) density drops by a factor of 3 when 100 ppm of N2O and O2 are added and it reduces by a factor of 5 for 200 ppm, to reach values close to our TALIF detection sensitivity for 400 ppm (1 × 1013 cm -3 at atmospheric pressure). © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Martian Atmospheric Pressure Static Charge Elimination Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Johansen, Michael R.

2014-01-01

A Martian pressure static charge elimination tool is currently in development in the Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory (ESPL) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. In standard Earth atmosphere conditions, static charge can be neutralized from an insulating surface using air ionizers. These air ionizers generate ions through corona breakdown. The Martian atmosphere is 7 Torr of mostly carbon dioxide, which makes it inherently difficult to use similar methods as those used for standard atmosphere static elimination tools. An initial prototype has been developed to show feasibility of static charge elimination at low pressure, using corona discharge. A needle point and thin wire loop are used as the corona generating electrodes. A photo of the test apparatus is shown below. Positive and negative high voltage pulses are sent to the needle point. This creates positive and negative ions that can be used for static charge neutralization. In a preliminary test, a floating metal plate was charged to approximately 600 volts under Martian atmospheric conditions. The static elimination tool was enabled and the voltage on the metal plate dropped rapidly to -100 volts. This test data is displayed below. Optimization is necessary to improve the electrostatic balance of the static elimination tool.

Hydrophilic surface modification of coronary stent using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet for endothelialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Jae Won; Bae, In-Ho; Park, Dae Sung; Lee, So-Youn; Jang, Eun-Jae; Lim, Kyung-Seob; Park, Jun-Kyu; Kim, Ju Han; Jeong, Myung Ho

2018-03-01

The first two authors contributed equally to this study. Bioactivity and cell adhesion properties are major factors for fabricating medical devices such as coronary stents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the advantages of atmospheric-pressure plasma jet in enhancing the biocompatibility and endothelial cell-favorites. The experimental objects were divided into before and after atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment with the ratio of nitrogen:argon = 3:1, which is similar to air. The treated surfaces were basically characterized by means of a contact angle analyzer for the activation property on their surfaces. The effect of atmospheric-pressure plasma jet on cellular response was examined by endothelial cell adhesion and XTT analysis. It was difficult to detect any changeable morphology after atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment on the surface. The roughness was increased after atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment compared to nonatmospheric-pressure plasma jet treatment (86.781 and 7.964 nm, respectively). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed that the surface concentration of the C-O groups increased slightly from 6% to 8% after plasma activation. The contact angle dramatically decreased in the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet treated group (22.6 ± 15.26°) compared to the nonatmospheric-pressure plasma jet treated group (72.4 ± 15.26°) ( n = 10, p atmospheric-pressure plasma jet on endothelial cell migration and proliferation was 85.2% ± 12.01% and 34.2% ± 2.68%, respectively, at 7 days, compared to the nonatmospheric-pressure plasma jet treated group (58.2% ± 11.44% in migration, n = 10, p atmospheric-pressure plasma jet method. Moreover, the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet might affect re-endothelialization after stenting.

Mechanism of Runaway Electron Generation at Gas Pressures from a Few Atmospheres to Several Tens of Atmospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Zubarev, N. M.; Ivanov, S. N.

2018-04-01

The mechanism of runaway electron generation at gas pressures from a few atmospheres to several tens of atmospheres is proposed. According to this mechanism, the electrons pass into the runaway mode in the enhanced field zone that arises between a cathode micropoint—a source of field-emission electrons—and the region of the positive ion space charge accumulated near the cathode in the tails of the developing electron avalanches. As a result, volume gas ionization by runaway electrons begins with a time delay required for the formation of the enhanced field zone. This process determines the delay time of breakdown. The influence of the gas pressure on the formation dynamics of the space charge region is analyzed. At gas pressures of a few atmospheres, the space charge arises due to the avalanche multiplication of the very first field-emission electron, whereas at pressures of several tens of atmospheres, the space charge forms as a result of superposition of many electron avalanches with a relatively small number of charge carriers in each.

Characterization of diamond-like carbon thin film synthesized by RF atmospheric pressure plasma Ar/CH4 jet

Science.gov (United States)

Sohbatzadeh, Farshad; Safari, Reza; Etaati, G. Reza; Asadi, Eskandar; Mirzanejhad, Saeed; Hosseinnejad, Mohammad Taghi; Samadi, Omid; Bagheri, Hanieh

2016-01-01

The growth of diamond like carbon (DLC) on a Pyrex glass was investigated by a radio frequency (RF) atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). The plasma jet with capacitive configuration ran by a radio frequency power supply at 13.56 MHz. Alumina ceramic was used as dielectric barrier. Ar and CH4 were used in atmospheric pressure as carrier and precursor gases, respectively. Diamond like carbon thin films were deposited on Pyrex glass at substrate temperature and applied power of 130 °C and 250 Watts, respectively. Performing field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and laser Raman spectroscopy analysis resulted in deposition rate and the ID/IG ratio of 21.31 nm/min and 0.47, respectively. The ID/IG ratio indicated that the coating possesses relative high sp3 content The optical emission spectroscopy (OES) diagnostic was applied to diagnose plasma jet species. Estimating electron temperature and density of the RF-APPJ resulted in 1.36 eV and 2.75 × 1014 cm-3 at the jet exit, respectively.

Microstructure of oxides in thermal barrier coatings grown under dry/humid atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Zhaohui; Guo Hongbo; Wang Juan; Abbas, Musharaf; Gong Shengkai

2011-01-01

Graphical abstract: The presence of water vapor promoted the formation of spinels in the TBC. Highlights: → Thermal barrier coatings are produced by electron beam physical vapour deposition. → Oxidation behaviour of the coatings at 1100 deg. C has been investigated in dry/humid O 2 . → Thermally grown oxides formed in the coatings are characterized. → The presence of water vapour promotes the formation of spinel in the TBCs. - Abstract: The microstructure of thermally grown oxide (TGO) in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) oxidized under dry/humid atmosphere at 1100 deg. C has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy. A thin and continuous oxide layer is formed in the as-deposited TBCs produced by electron beam physical vapor deposition. The TGO formed in dry atmosphere consists of an outer layer of fine α-alumina, zirconia grains and an inner layer of columnar α-alumina grains. However, a small amount of spinel is observed in the TGO under humid atmosphere. The presence of water vapour promotes the formation of spinel.

Device for determining pressures in aggressive atmospheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schley, Robert; Voituriez, Bernard.

1982-01-01

This invention concerns a compact device for measuring rapidly changing pressures at high temperature and in corrosive or radioactive atmospheres. The device includes a case in which there is a support having two plane surfaces, an elliptical flexible membrane fixed to the first plane surface and supporting a strain gauge, a second gauge fixed to the second plane surface, the support being fitted with a passage enabling the membrane to distort under the action of the fluid it is desired to measure for pressure. Applies to the determination of pressures in nuclear reactors [fr

Enhancement of cell growth on honeycomb-structured polylactide surface using atmospheric-pressure plasma jet modification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cheng, Kuang-Yao; Chang, Chia-Hsing; Yang, Yi-Wei; Liao, Guo-Chun; Liu, Chih-Tung; Wu, Jong-Shinn, E-mail: chongsin@faculty.nctu.edu.tw

2017-02-01

Graphical abstract: Atmospheric-pressure plasma enhances cell growth on two different pore sizes of honeycomb pattern on polylactide surface. - Highlights: • Different pore sizes of honeycomb pattern on PLA film are created. • The two-step plasma treatment provided the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing functional groups that had a major impact on cell cultivation. • The plasma treatment had a significant effect for cell proliferation. • The surface structures are the main influence on cell cultivation, while plasma treatment can indeed improve the growth environment. - Abstract: In this paper, we compare the cell growth results of NIH-3T3 and Neuro-2A cells over 72 h on flat and honeycomb structured PLA films without and with a two-step atmospheric-pressure nitrogen-based plasma jet treatment. We developed a fabrication system used for forming of a uniform honeycomb structure on PLA surface, which can produce two different pore sizes, 3–4 μm and 7–8 μm, of honeycomb pattern. We applied a previously developed nitrogen-based atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) jet system to treat the PLA film without and with honeycomb structure. NIH-3T3 and a much smaller Neuro-2A cells were cultivated on the films under various surface conditions. The results show that the two-step plasma treatment in combination with a honeycomb structure can enhance cell growth on PLA film, should the cell size be not too smaller than the pore size of honeycomb structure, e.g., NIH-3T3. Otherwise, cell growth would be better on flat PLA film, e.g., Neuro-2A.

Ions in carbon dioxide at an atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikezoe, Yasumasa; Onuki, Kaoru; Shimizu, Saburo; Nakajima, Hayato; Sato, Shoichi; Matsuoka, Shingo; Nakamura, Hirone; Tamura, Takaaki

1985-01-01

The formation and the subsequent reactions of positive and negative ions were observed by a time resolved atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer (TRAPI) in an atmospheric pressure carbon dioxide added with small amounts of carbon monoxide and oxygen. A relatively stable ion of (44 x n) + (n >= 2) having a different reactivity from that of (CO 2 ) + sub(n) was found to be one of major ionic species in this gas system. This species was tentatively assigned as [O 2 (CO) 2 ] + (CO 2 )sub(n-2). A new reaction sequence of positive ions is proposed which can be operative in the radiolysis of carbon dioxide at 1 atm. (author)

Rapid Chemical Vapor Infiltration of Silicon Carbide Minicomposites at Atmospheric Pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Petroski, Kenneth; Poges, Shannon; Monteleone, Chris; Grady, Joseph; Bhatt, Ram; Suib, Steven L

2018-02-07

The chemical vapor infiltration technique is one of the most popular for the fabrication of the matrix portion of a ceramic matrix composite. This work focuses on tailoring an atmospheric pressure deposition of silicon carbide onto carbon fiber tows using the methyltrichlorosilane (CH 3 SiCl 3 ) and H 2 deposition system at atmospheric pressure to create minicomposites faster than low pressure systems. Adjustment of the flow rate of H 2 bubbled through CH 3 SiCl 3 will improve the uniformity of the deposition as well as infiltrate the substrate more completely as the flow rate is decreased. Low pressure depositions conducted at 50 Torr deposit SiC at a rate of approximately 200 nm*h -1 , while the atmospheric pressure system presented has a deposition rate ranging from 750 nm*h -1 to 3.88 μm*h -1 . The minicomposites fabricated in this study had approximate total porosities of 3 and 6% for 10 and 25 SCCM infiltrations, respectively.

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Interaction with Soft Materials as Fundamental Processes in Plasma Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Takenaka, Kosuke; Miyazaki, Atsushi; Uchida, Giichiro; Setsuhara, Yuichi

2015-03-01

Molecular-structure variation of organic materials irradiated with atmospheric pressure He plasma jet have been investigated. Optical emission spectrum in the atmospheric-pressure He plasma jet has been measured. The spectrum shows considerable emissions of He lines, and the emission of O and N radicals attributed to air. Variation in molecular structure of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface irradiated with the atmospheric-pressure He plasma jet has been observed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). These results via XPS and FT-IR indicate that the PET surface irradiated with the atmospheric-pressure He plasma jet was oxidized by chemical and/or physical effect due to irradiation of active species.

Spectroscopic characterisation of an atmospheric pressure glow discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez, S.; Steen, P.G.; Morrow, T.; Graham, W.G.

2001-01-01

Recently there has been considerable interest in atmospheric discharges operating in a glow discharge mode i.e. with a spatial and sheath structure similar to that of low pressure glow discharges. Here spectroscopy has been used to characterise an atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD), operating with either dry air, argon or helium gas flowing through the inter-electrode space and with the inter-electrode gap either free or with woven polypropylene or polyester samples present. Emission spectroscopy is used to determine the rotational and vibrational temperature of the nitrogen gas, while electron temperatures are determined from the relative intensities of Ar emission lines. Ozone production is monitored by a simple absorption technique to evaluate its potential in process control

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Induced Sterilization and Chemical Neutralization

Science.gov (United States)

Garate, Eusebio; Evans, Kirk; Gornostaeva, Olga; Alexeff, Igor; Lock Kang, Weng; Wood, Thomas K.

1998-11-01

We are studying chemical neutralization and surface decontamination using atmospheric pressure plasma discharges. The plasma is produced by corona discharge from an array of pins and a ground plane. The array is constructed so that various gases, like argon or helium, can be flowed past the pins where the discharge is initiated. The pin array can be biased using either DC, AC or pulsed discharges. Results indicate that the atmospheric plasma is effective in sterilizing surfaces with biological contaminants like E-coli and bacillus subtilus cells. Exposure times of less than four minutes in an air plasma result in a decrease in live colony counts by six orders of magnitude. Greater exposure times result in a decrease of live colony counts of up to ten orders of magnitude. The atmospheric pressure discharge is also effective in decomposing organic phosphate compounds that are simulants for chemical warfare agents. Details of the decomposition chemistry, by-product formation, and electrical energy consumption of the system will be discussed.

A microwave pressure sounder. [for remote measurement of atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Peckham, G. E.; Flower, D. A.

1981-01-01

A technique for the remote measurement of atmospheric surface pressure will be described. Such measurements could be made from a satellite in polar orbit and would cover many areas for which conventional meteorological data are not available. An active microwave instrument is used to measure the strength of return echoes from the ocean surface at a number of frequencies near the 60 GHz oxygen absorption band. Factors which affect the accuracy with which surface pressure can be deduced from these measurements will be discussed and an instrument designed to test the method by making measurements from an aircraft will be described.

Assessment of common interventions and perceived barriers to pressure ulcer prevention in southwest Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilesanmi, Rose Ekama; Olabisi, Prisca

2014-01-01

We examined the interventions used by nurses to prevent pressure ulcers in 3 hospitals in south west Nigeria and perceived barriers to effective nursing pressure ulcer prevention interventions. One hundred ninety-three nurses were purposively selected from neurological, orthopedic, intensive care, and accident and emergency units of participating hospitals. Study sites were 3 teaching hospitals in south west Nigeria (Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos; University College Hospital, Ibadan; and Obafemi Awolowo Teaching Hospital Ile-Ife). Data were collected via a structured questionnaire designed for this study. It included 3 sections: demographic information, practices used for pressure ulcer prevention, and perceived barriers to prevention. Sections of the questionnaire that queried interventions and perceived barriers to pressure ulcer prevention were evaluated for face and content validity. Reliability was evaluated via internal consistency; the split half reliability was 0.82. Similar practices regarding pressure ulcer prevention were found across the 3 hospitals. The most commonly used intervention was patient repositioning every 2 hours; the least used intervention was completion of a validated pressure ulcer risk scale. Nurses described using interventions that have not proved effective for pressure ulcer prevention such as massaging bony prominences and application of talcum powder. Nurses identified 2 principal factors that act as barriers to successful prevention of pressure ulcers: inadequate manpower and inadequate supply of linens on the wards. Nurses use a combination of evidence-based interventions, along with interventions that have not proved effective for pressure ulcer prevention. We recommend development of national standards for pressure ulcer prevention in Nigeria that are based on current best evidence and consistent with current international guidelines.

Evaluation of Packed Distillation Columns I - Atmospheric Pressure

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Reynolds, Thaine

1951-01-01

.... Four column-packing combinations of the glass columns and four column-packing combinations of the steel columns were investigated at atmospheric pressure using a test mixture of methylcyclohexane...

Surface modification of polylactic acid films by atmospheric pressure plasma treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Kudryavtseva, V. L.; Zhuravlev, M. V.; Tverdokhlebov, S. I.

2017-09-01

A new approach for the modification of polylactic acid (PLA) materials using atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) is described. PLA films plasma exposure time was 20, 60, 120 s. The surface morphology and wettability of the obtained PLA films were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the sitting drop method. The atmospheric pressure plasma increased the roughness and surface energy of PLA film. The wettability of PLA has been improved with the application of an atmospheric plasma surface treatment. It was shown that it is possible to obtain PLA films with various surface relief and tunable wettability. Additionally, we demonstrated that the use of cold atmospheric pressure plasma for surface activation allows for the immobilization of bioactive compounds like hyaluronic acid (HA) on the surface of obtained films. It was shown that composite PLA-HA films have an increased long-term hydrophilicity of the films surface.

Collective Phenomena In Volume And Surface Barrier Discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Kogelschatz, U.

2010-07-01

Barrier discharges are increasingly used as a cost-effective means to produce non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure. This way, copious amounts of electrons, ions, free radicals and excited species can be generated without appreciable gas heating. In most applications the barrier is made of dielectric material. In laboratory experiments also the use of resistive, ferroelectric and semiconducting materials has been investigated, also porous ceramic layers and dielectric barriers with controlled surface conductivity. Major applications utilizing mainly dielectric barriers include ozone generation, surface cleaning and modification, polymer and textile treatment, sterilization, pollution control, CO2 lasers, excimer lamps, plasma display panels (flat TV screens). More recent research efforts are also devoted to biomedical applications and to plasma actuators for flow control. Sinu- soidal feeding voltages at various frequencies as well as pulsed excitation schemes are used. Volume as well as surface barrier discharges can exist in the form of filamentary, regularly patterned or laterally homogeneous discharges. Reviews of the subject and the older literature on barrier discharges were published by Kogelschatz (2002, 2003), by Wagner et al. (2003) and by Fridman et al. (2005). A detailed discussion of various properties of barrier discharges can also be found in the recent book "Non-Equilibrium Air Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure" by Becker et al. (2005). The physical effects leading to collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges will be discussed in detail. Special attention will be given to self-organization of current filaments. Main similarities and differences of the two types of barrier discharges will be elaborated.

Research on atmospheric pressure plasma processing sewage

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Gui-cai; Na, Yan-xiang; Dong, Xiao-long; Sun, Xiao-liang

2013-08-01

The water pollution has become more and more serious with the industrial progress and social development, so it become a worldwide leading environmental management problem to human survival and personal health, therefore, countries are looking for the best solution. Generally speaking, in this paper the work has the following main achievements and innovation: (1) Developed a new plasma device--Plasma Water Bed. (2) At atmospheric pressure condition, use oxygen, nitrogen, argon and helium as work gas respectively, use fiber spectrometer to atmospheric pressure plasma discharge the emission spectrum of measurement, due to the different work gas producing active particle is different, so can understand discharge, different particle activity, in the treatment of wastewater, has the different degradation effects. (3) Methyl violet solution treatment by plasma water bed. Using plasma drafting make active particles and waste leachate role, observe the decolorization, measurement of ammonia nitrogen removal.

Application of atmospheric pressure plasma on polyethylene for increased prosthesis adhesion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Vrekhem, S., E-mail: stijn.vanvrekhem@ugent.be [Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41 B4, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Cools, P. [Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41 B4, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Declercq, H. [Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41 B4, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 6B3, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Van Tongel, A. [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185 13K12, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); Vercruysse, C.; Cornelissen, M. [Tissue Engineering Group, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185 6B3, 9000 Ghent (Belgium); De Geyter, N.; Morent, R. [Research Unit Plasma Technology (RUPT), Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41 B4, 9000 Ghent (Belgium)

2015-12-01

Biopolymers are often subjected to surface modification in order to improve their surface characteristics. The goal of this study is to show the use of plasma technology to enhance the adhesion of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) shoulder prostheses. Two different plasma techniques (low pressure plasma activation and atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization) are performed on UHMWPE to increase the adhesion between (1) the polymer and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement and (2) the polymer and osteoblast cells. Both techniques are performed using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). A previous paper showed that low pressure plasma activation of UHMWPE results in the incorporation of oxygen-containing functional groups, which leads to an increased surface wettability. Atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization of methylmethacrylate (MMA) on UHMWPE results in a PMMA-like coating, which could be deposited with a high degree of control of chemical composition and layer thickness. The thin film also proved to be relatively stable upon incubation in a phosphate buffer solution (PBS). This paper discusses the next stage of the study, which includes testing the adhesion of the plasma-activated and plasma-polymerized samples to bone cement through pull-out tests and testing the cell adhesion and proliferation on the samples. In order to perform the pull-out tests, all samples were cut to standard dimensions and fixed in bone cement in a reproducible way with a sample holder specially designed for this purpose. The cell adhesion and proliferation were tested by means of an MTS assay and live/dead staining after culturing MC3T3 osteoblast cells on UHMWPE samples. The results show that both plasma activation and plasma polymerization significantly improve the adhesion to bone cement and enhance cell adhesion and proliferation. In conclusion, it can be stated that the use of plasma technology can lead to an implant with improved quality and a subsequent

Interaction of EM Waves with Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Laroussi, Mounir

2000-01-01

.... The focus of the main activities is the generation of large volume, non-thermal, atmospheric pressure plasmas, their diagnostics, and their interactions with EM waves and with the cells of microorganism...

Thermal structure of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozaki, Tomohiro; Unno, Yasuko; Okazaki, Ken

2002-01-01

The thermal structure of a methane-fed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and a atmospheric pressure glow-discharge (APG) has been extensively investigated in terms of time-averaged gas temperature profile between two parallel-plate electrodes separated by 1.0 mm. Emission spectroscopy of the rotational band of CH ((0, 0) A 2 Δ→X 2 Π:431 nm) was performed for this purpose. In order to minimize average temperature increase in the reaction field, DBD and APG were activated by 10 kHz with 2% duty cycle pulsed voltage (2 μs pulse width/100 μs interval). In DBD, temperature increase of a single microdischarge, on a time average, reached 200 K. It suddenly decreased below 100 K associated with the dark space formation near the dielectric barrier. Also, gas temperature in the surface discharge was fairly low because emission in these regions was limited within the initial stages of propagation (∼5 ns), whereas energy deposition would continue until microdischarge extinction; these facts implied that rotational temperature seemed to be far below the actual gas temperature in these regions. In APG, gas temperature was uniformly increased by positive column formation. In addition, a remarkable temperature increase due to negative glow formation was obtained only near the metallic electrode. For practical interest, we also investigated the net temperature increase with high frequency operations (AC-80 kHz), which depends not only on plasma properties, but also various engineering factors such as flow field, external cooling conditions, and total input power. In DBD, gas temperature in the middle of gas gap was significantly increased with increasing input power because of poor cooling conditions. In APG, in contrast, gas temperature near the electrodes was significantly increased associated with negative glow formation

Effects of initiating anaerobic digestion of layer-hen poultry dung at sub-atmospheric pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chima C. Ngumah

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This study investigated the effects of initiating anaerobic digestion (AD of dry layer-hen poultry dung at the sub-atmospheric pressure of -30 cmHg on biodegradation, biogasification, and biomethanation. The setup was performed as a batch process at an average ambient temperature of 29±2 0C and a retention time of 15 days. Comparisons were made with two other experiments which were both begun at ambient atmospheric pressure; one was inoculated with digestate from a previous layer-hen dung AD, while the other was not inoculated. The bioreactors initiated at sub-atmospheric pressure, ambient atmospheric pressure without inoculum, and ambient atmospheric pressure with inoculum showed the following for biogas and biomethane yields respectively: 16.8 cm3 g-1 VS and 15.46 cm3 g 1 VS, 25.10 cm3 g-1 VS and 12.85 cm3 g-1 VS, 21.44 cm3 g-1 VS and 14.88 cm3 g 1 VS. In the same order, after AD, the following values were recorded for volatile solids and total viable counts (prokaryotes and fungi in the digestates: 40.33% and 23.22 x 106 cfu mL-1, 43.42% and 22.17 x 106 cfu mL-1, 41.11% and 13.3 x 106 cfu mL-1. The feedstock showed values of 83.93% and 3.98 x 106 cfu mL-1 for volatile solids and total viable count respectively. There was a slight difference in the volatile solids of the digestates of the three bioreactors after AD. The pH recorded for the feedstock slurry before AD was 7.9 at 30oC, while after AD, the digestates from all the three bioreactors showed the same pH of 5.9 at 29 0C. Statistical analysis using ANOVA showed no significant difference in biogas yields of the feedstock for the three bioreactors (A, B, C. ANOVA showed no significant difference for biomethane yields in the bioreactors initiated at sub-atmospheric pressure and for those initiated at ambient atmospheric pressure with inoculums. However, it showed significant difference in the bioreactor initiated at sub-atmospheric pressure and that initiated at ambient atmospheric

Atmospheric plasma processes for environmental applications

OpenAIRE

Shapoval, Volodymyr

2012-01-01

Plasma chemistry is a rapidly growing field which covers applications ranging from technological processing of materials, including biological tissues, to environmental remediation and energy production. The so called atmospheric plasma, produced by electric corona or dielectric barrier discharges in a gas at atmospheric pressure, is particularly attractive for the low costs and ease of operation and maintenance involved. The high concentrations of energetic and chemically active species (e.g...

Transmission geometry laserspray ionization vacuum using an atmospheric pressure inlet.

Science.gov (United States)

Lutomski, Corinne A; El-Baba, Tarick J; Inutan, Ellen D; Manly, Cory D; Wager-Miller, James; Mackie, Ken; Trimpin, Sarah

2014-07-01

This represents the first report of laserspray ionization vacuum (LSIV) with operation directly from atmospheric pressure for use in mass spectrometry. Two different types of electrospray ionization source inlets were converted to LSIV sources by equipping the entrance of the atmospheric pressure inlet aperture with a customized cone that is sealed with a removable glass plate holding the matrix/analyte sample. A laser aligned in transmission geometry (at 180° relative to the inlet) ablates the matrix/analyte sample deposited on the vacuum side of the glass slide. Laser ablation from vacuum requires lower inlet temperature relative to laser ablation at atmospheric pressure. However, higher inlet temperature is required for high-mass analytes, for example, α-chymotrypsinogen (25.6 kDa). Labile compounds such as gangliosides and cardiolipins are detected in the negative ion mode directly from mouse brain tissue as intact doubly deprotonated ions. Multiple charging enhances the ion mobility spectrometry separation of ions derived from complex tissue samples.

Influence of geomagnetic activity and atmospheric pressure in hypertensive adults

Science.gov (United States)

Azcárate, T.; Mendoza, B.

2017-09-01

We performed a study of the systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure behavior under natural variables such as the atmospheric pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component. We worked with a group of eight adult hypertensive volunteers, four men and four women, with ages between 18 and 27 years in Mexico City during a geomagnetic storm in 2014. The data was divided by gender, age, and day/night cycle. We studied the time series using three methods: correlations, bivariate analysis, and superposed epoch (within a window of 2 days around the day of occurrence of a geomagnetic storm) analysis, between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the natural variables. The correlation analysis indicated a correlation between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the atmospheric pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component, being the largest during the night. Furthermore, the correlation and bivariate analyses showed that the largest correlations are between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component. Finally, the superposed epoch analysis showed that the largest number of significant changes in the blood pressure under the influence of geomagnetic field occurred in the systolic blood pressure for men.

Influence of geomagnetic activity and atmospheric pressure in hypertensive adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Azcárate, T; Mendoza, B

2017-09-01

We performed a study of the systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure behavior under natural variables such as the atmospheric pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component. We worked with a group of eight adult hypertensive volunteers, four men and four women, with ages between 18 and 27 years in Mexico City during a geomagnetic storm in 2014. The data was divided by gender, age, and day/night cycle. We studied the time series using three methods: correlations, bivariate analysis, and superposed epoch (within a window of 2 days around the day of occurrence of a geomagnetic storm) analysis, between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the natural variables. The correlation analysis indicated a correlation between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the atmospheric pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component, being the largest during the night. Furthermore, the correlation and bivariate analyses showed that the largest correlations are between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the horizontal geomagnetic field component. Finally, the superposed epoch analysis showed that the largest number of significant changes in the blood pressure under the influence of geomagnetic field occurred in the systolic blood pressure for men.

Correlation between atmospheric pressure changes and abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture: results of a single-center study.

Science.gov (United States)

Molacek, Jiri; Treska, Vladislav; Kasik, Miroslav; Houdek, Karel; Baxa, Jan

2013-09-01

There is much interest in all factors that influence the etiopathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture. Apart from the well-established factors such as arterial hypertension, smoking, age, and genetic predisposition, less common factors that may play a role in the mechanism of the rupture are the subject of much discussion. These include atmospheric conditions, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. We conducted this study to investigate the effects of the absolute value of atmospheric pressure and its changes on the frequency of AAA rupture. We retrospectively examined 54 patients who underwent treatment for a ruptured AAA at the Clinic of Surgery in the University Hospital in Pilsen between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2009. We collected data on the atmospheric pressure in this period from the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute in Pilsen. We did not find a significant difference in atmospheric pressure values between the days when the rupture occurred versus the other days (p atmospheric pressure during the 48 h preceding the rupture (Student's test p atmospheric pressure in that month. These findings suggest that atmospheric pressure and its changes do not affect the pathogenesis of AAA rupture.

Field-emitting Townsend regime of surface dielectric barrier discharges emerging at high pressure up to supercritical conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pai, David Z; Stauss, Sven; Terashima, Kazuo

2015-01-01

Surface dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) in CO 2 from atmospheric pressure up to supercritical conditions generated using 10 kHz ac excitation are investigated experimentally. Using current–voltage and charge–voltage measurements, imaging, optical emission spectroscopy, and spontaneous Raman spectroscopy, we identify and characterize a field-emitting Townsend discharge regime that emerges above 0.7 MPa. An electrical model enables the calculation of the discharge-induced capacitances of the plasma and the dielectric, as well as the space-averaged values of the surface potential and the potential drop across the discharge. The space-averaged Laplacian field is accounted for in the circuit model by including the capacitance due to the fringe electric field from the electrode edge. The electrical characteristics are demonstrated to fit the description of atmospheric-pressure Townsend DBDs (Naudé et al 2005 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 38 530–8), i.e. self-sustained DBDs with minimal space-charge effects. The purely continuum emission spectrum is due to electron–neutral bremsstrahlung corresponding to an average electron temperature of 2600 K. Raman spectra of CO 2 near the critical point demonstrate that the average gas temperature increases by less than 1 K. (paper)

Combined effects of γ-ray radiation and high atmospheric pressure on peripheral blood lymphocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Bingchai; Lu Jiaben; Wang Zongwu; Chen Tiehe

1989-01-01

The combined effects of γ-ray radiation and high atmospheric pressure on chromosome aberration, micronucleus and transformation frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes have been studied. The results indicated that there were no significant influence for effects of high atmospheric pressure on chromosome aberrations, transformation frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes induced γ-ray radiation, and that high atmospheric pressure increased effect of micronucleus in human peripheral blood lymphocytes in vitro induced γ-ray radiation

Atmospheric pressure H20 plasma treatment of polyester cord threads

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simor, M.; Krump, H.; Hudec, I.; Rahel, J.; Brablec, A.; Cernak, M.

2004-01-01

Polyester cord threads, which are used as a reinforcing materials of rubber blend, have been treated in atmospheric-pressure H 2 0 plasma in order to enhance their adhesion to rubber. The atmospheric-pressure H 2 0 plasma was generated in an underwater diaphragm discharge. The plasma treatment resulted in approximately 100% improvement in the adhesion. Scanning electron microscopy investigation indicates that not only introduced surface polar groups but also increased surface area of the fibres due to a fibre surface roughening are responsible for the improved adhesive strength (Authors)

Near 7-day response of ocean bottom pressure to atmospheric surface pressure and winds in the northern South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kun; Zhu, Xiao-Hua; Zhao, Ruixiang

2018-02-01

Ocean bottom pressures, observed by five pressure-recording inverted echo sounders (PIESs) from October 2012 to July 2014, exhibit strong near 7-day variability in the northern South China Sea (SCS) where long-term in situ bottom pressure observations are quite sparse. This variability was strongest in October 2013 during the near two years observation period. By joint analysis with European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data, it is shown that the near 7-day ocean bottom pressure variability is closely related to the local atmospheric surface pressure and winds. Within a period band near 7 days, there are high coherences, exceeding 95% significance level, of observed ocean bottom pressure with local atmospheric surface pressure and with both zonal and meridional components of the wind. Ekman pumping/suction caused by the meridional component of the wind in particular, is suggested as one driving mechanism. A Kelvin wave response to the near 7-day oscillation would propagate down along the continental slope, observed at the Qui Nhon in the Vietnam. By multiple and partial coherence analyses, we find that local atmospheric surface pressure and Ekman pumping/suction show nearly equal influence on ocean bottom pressure variability at near 7-day periods. A schematic diagram representing an idealized model gives us a possible mechanism to explain the relationship between ocean bottom pressure and local atmospheric forcing at near 7-day periods in the northern SCS.

Influence of ultrasonic irradiation on ozone generation in a dielectric barrier discharge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kusano, Yukihiro; Drews, J.; Leipold, Frank

2012-01-01

An atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was generated in an N2/O2 gas mixture at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation to investigate ozone production. Powerful ultrasonic irradiation with the sound pressure level of approximately 150 dB into the DBD can...

Leidenfrost Phenomenon-assisted Thermal Desorption (LPTD) and Its Application to Open Ion Sources at Atmospheric Pressure Mass Spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Subhrakanti; Chen, Lee Chuin; Mandal, Mridul Kanti; Hiraoka, Kenzo

2013-03-01

This work describes the development and application of a new thermal desorption technique that makes use of the Leidenfrost phenomenon in open ion sources at atmospheric pressure for direct mass spectrometric detection of ultratrace levels of illicit, therapeutic, and stimulant drugs, toxicants, and peptides (molecular weight above 1 kDa) in their unaltered state from complex real world samples without or with minor sample pretreatment. A low temperature dielectric barrier discharge ion source was used throughout the experiments and the analytical figures of merit of this technique were investigated. Further, this desorption technique coupled with other ionization sources such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and dc corona discharge atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) in open atmosphere was also investigated. The use of the high-resolution `Exactive Orbitrap' mass spectrometer provided unambiguous identification of trace levels of the targeted compounds from complex mixtures and background noise; the limits of detection for various small organic molecules and peptides treated with this technique were at the level of parts per trillion and 10-9 M, respectively. The high sensitivity of the present technique is attributed to the spontaneous enrichment of analyte molecules during the slow evaporation of the solvent, as well as to the sequential desorption of molecules from complex mixtures based on their volatilities. This newly developed desorption technique is simple and fast, while molecular ions are observed as the major ions.

Runaway electron beam in atmospheric pressure discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oreshkin, E V; Barengolts, S A; Chaikovsky, S A; Oreshkin, V I

2015-01-01

A numerical simulation was performed to study the formation of a runaway electron (RAE) beam from an individual emission zone in atmospheric pressure air discharges with a highly overvolted interelectrode gap. It is shown that the formation of a RAE beam in discharges at high overvoltages is much contributed by avalanche processes. (paper)

A Study on Decontamination Process Using Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yong Soo; Jeon, Sang Hwan; Jin, Dong Sik; Park, Dong Min

2010-05-01

Radioactive decontamination process using atmospheric pressure plasma which can be operated parallel with low vacuum cold plasma processing is studied. Two types of cold plasma torches were designed and manufactured. One of them is the cylindrical type applicable to the treatment of three-dimensional surfaces. The other is the rectangular type for the treatment of flat and large surface areas. Ar palsam was unstable but using He as a carrier gas, discharge condition was improved. Besides filtering module using pre, medium, charcoal, and HEPA filter was designed and manufactured. More intensive study for developing filtering system will be followed. Atmospheric pressure plasma decontamination process can be used to the equipment and facility wall decontamination

PEO-like Plasma Polymers Prepared by Atmospheric Pressure Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gordeev, I.; Choukourov, A.; Šimek, Milan; Prukner, Václav; Biederman, H.

2012-01-01

Roč. 9, č. 8 (2012), s. 782-791 ISSN 1612-8850 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GD104/09/H080 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : fibrinogen * non-fouling properties * PEO * plasma polymerization * surface dielectric barrier discharge Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.730, year: 2012

Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma possible application in wound healing.

Science.gov (United States)

Haertel, Beate; von Woedtke, Thomas; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter; Lindequist, Ulrike

2014-11-01

Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma, also named cold plasma, is defined as a partly ionized gas. Therefore, it cannot be equated with plasma from blood; it is not biological in nature. Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma is a new innovative approach in medicine not only for the treatment of wounds, but with a wide-range of other applications, as e.g. topical treatment of other skin diseases with microbial involvement or treatment of cancer diseases. This review emphasizes plasma effects on wound healing. Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma can support wound healing by its antiseptic effects, by stimulation of proliferation and migration of wound relating skin cells, by activation or inhibition of integrin receptors on the cell surface or by its pro-angiogenic effect. We summarize the effects of plasma on eukaryotic cells, especially on keratinocytes in terms of viability, proliferation, DNA, adhesion molecules and angiogenesis together with the role of reactive oxygen species and other components of plasma. The outcome of first clinical trials regarding wound healing is pointed out.

Atmospheric Pressure and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Rupture: Results From a Time Series Analysis and Case-Crossover Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Penning de Vries, Bas B L; Kolkert, Joé L P; Meerwaldt, Robbert; Groenwold, Rolf H H

2017-10-01

Associations between atmospheric pressure and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture risk have been reported, but empirical evidence is inconclusive and largely derived from studies that did not account for possible nonlinearity, seasonality, and confounding by temperature. Associations between atmospheric pressure and AAA rupture risk were investigated using local meteorological data and a case series of 358 patients admitted to hospital for ruptured AAA during the study period, January 2002 to December 2012. Two analyses were performed-a time series analysis and a case-crossover study. Results from the 2 analyses were similar; neither the time series analysis nor the case-crossover study showed a significant association between atmospheric pressure ( P = .627 and P = .625, respectively, for mean daily atmospheric pressure) or atmospheric pressure variation ( P = .464 and P = .816, respectively, for 24-hour change in mean daily atmospheric pressure) and AAA rupture risk. This study failed to support claims that atmospheric pressure causally affects AAA rupture risk. In interpreting our results, one should be aware that the range of atmospheric pressure observed in this study is not representative of the atmospheric pressure to which patients with AAA may be exposed, for example, during air travel or travel to high altitudes in the mountains. Making firm claims regarding these conditions in relation to AAA rupture risk is difficult at best. Furthermore, despite the fact that we used one of the largest case series to date to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure on AAA rupture risk, it is possible that this study is simply too small to demonstrate a causal link.

Selection of suitable diagnostic techniques for an RF atmospheric pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kong, M.G.; Deng, X.T.

2001-01-01

As an early report of our study, this paper summaries the RF atmospheric pressure plasma system we intend to characterize and a number of diagnostic techniques presently under assessment for our plasma rig. By discussing the advantages and disadvantages of these diagnostic techniques at this meeting, we hope to gain feedback and comments to improve our choice of appropriate diagnostic techniques as well as our subsequent application of these techniques to nonthermal RF atmospheric pressure plasmas

Using dimers to measure biosignatures and atmospheric pressure for terrestrial exoplanets.

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Amit; Meadows, Victoria; Claire, Mark; Crisp, Dave

2014-02-01

We present a new method to probe atmospheric pressure on Earth-like planets using (O2-O2) dimers in the near-infrared. We also show that dimer features could be the most readily detectable biosignatures for Earth-like atmospheres and may even be detectable in transit transmission with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The absorption by dimers changes more rapidly with pressure and density than that of monomers and can therefore provide additional information about atmospheric pressures. By comparing the absorption strengths of rotational and vibrational features to the absorption strengths of dimer features, we show that in some cases it may be possible to estimate the pressure at the reflecting surface of a planet. This method is demonstrated by using the O2 A band and the 1.06 μm dimer feature, either in transmission or reflected spectra. It works best for planets around M dwarfs with atmospheric pressures between 0.1 and 10 bar and for O2 volume mixing ratios above 50% of Earth's present-day level. Furthermore, unlike observations of Rayleigh scattering, this method can be used at wavelengths longer than 0.6 μm and is therefore potentially applicable, although challenging, to near-term planet characterization missions such as JWST. We also performed detectability studies for JWST transit transmission spectroscopy and found that the 1.06 and 1.27 μm dimer features could be detectable (SNR>3) for an Earth analogue orbiting an M5V star at a distance of 5 pc. The detection of these features could provide a constraint on the atmospheric pressure of an exoplanet and serve as biosignatures for oxygenic photosynthesis. We calculated the required signal-to-noise ratios to detect and characterize O2 monomer and dimer features in direct imaging-reflected spectra and found that signal-to-noise ratios greater than 10 at a spectral resolving power of R=100 would be required.

Cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma with ultra-high electron density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Hiromasa; Mizuno, Masaaki; Toyokuni, Shinya; Maruyama, Shoichi; Kodera, Yasuhiro; Terasaki, Hiroko; Adachi, Tetsuo; Kato, Masashi; Kikkawa, Fumitaka; Hori, Masaru

2015-01-01

Cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma is a big challenge in plasma medicine. Reactive species generated from plasma are key factors for treating cancer cells, and thus, non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma with high electron density has been developed and applied for cancer treatment. Various cancer cell lines have been treated with plasma, and non-thermal atmospheric plasma clearly has anti-tumor effects. Recent innovative studies suggest that plasma can both directly and indirectly affect cells and tissues, and this observation has widened the range of applications. Thus, cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma is promising. Animal experiments and understanding the mode of action are essential for clinical application in the future. A new academic field that combines plasma science, the biology of free radicals, and systems biology will be established

Cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma with ultra-high electron density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Hiromasa [Institute of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Mizuno, Masaaki [Center for Advanced Medicine and Clinical Research, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Toyokuni, Shinya [Department of Pathology and Biological Responses, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Maruyama, Shoichi [Department of Nephrology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Kodera, Yasuhiro [Department of Gastroenterological Surgery (Surgery II), Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Terasaki, Hiroko [Department of Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Adachi, Tetsuo [Laboratory of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 501-1196 Gifu (Japan); Kato, Masashi [Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Kikkawa, Fumitaka [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsurumai-cho 65, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Hori, Masaru [Institute of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)

2015-12-15

Cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma is a big challenge in plasma medicine. Reactive species generated from plasma are key factors for treating cancer cells, and thus, non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma with high electron density has been developed and applied for cancer treatment. Various cancer cell lines have been treated with plasma, and non-thermal atmospheric plasma clearly has anti-tumor effects. Recent innovative studies suggest that plasma can both directly and indirectly affect cells and tissues, and this observation has widened the range of applications. Thus, cancer therapy using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma is promising. Animal experiments and understanding the mode of action are essential for clinical application in the future. A new academic field that combines plasma science, the biology of free radicals, and systems biology will be established.

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Cleaning of Contaminated Surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hicks, Robert F.; Herrmann, Hans W.

2003-01-01

The objective of this work is to demonstrate a practical, atmospheric pressure plasma tool for the surface decontamination of radioactive waste. Decontamination of radioactive materials that have accumulated on the surfaces of equipment and structures is a challenging and costly undertaking for the US Department of Energy. Our technology shows great potential for accelerating this clean up effort

Non-Thermal Sanitation By Atmospheric Pressure Plasma, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ORBITEC proposes to develop a non-thermal technology based on atmospheric-pressure (AP) cold plasma to sanitize foods, food packaging materials, and other hardware...

Charge Exchange Reaction in Dopant-Assisted Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization and Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaikkinen, Anu; Kauppila, Tiina J; Kostiainen, Risto

2016-08-01

The efficiencies of charge exchange reaction in dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (DA-APCI) and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (DA-APPI) mass spectrometry (MS) were compared by flow injection analysis. Fourteen individual compounds and a commercial mixture of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were chosen as model analytes to cover a wide range of polarities, gas-phase ionization energies, and proton affinities. Chlorobenzene was used as the dopant, and methanol/water (80/20) as the solvent. In both techniques, analytes formed the same ions (radical cations, protonated molecules, and/or fragments). However, in DA-APCI, the relative efficiency of charge exchange versus proton transfer was lower than in DA-APPI. This is suggested to be because in DA-APCI both dopant and solvent clusters can be ionized, and the formed reagent ions can react with the analytes via competing charge exchange and proton transfer reactions. In DA-APPI, on the other hand, the main reagents are dopant-derived radical cations, which favor ionization of analytes via charge exchange. The efficiency of charge exchange in both DA-APPI and DA-APCI was shown to depend heavily on the solvent flow rate, with best efficiency seen at lowest flow rates studied (0.05 and 0.1 mL/min). Both DA-APCI and DA-APPI showed the radical cation of chlorobenzene at 0.05-0.1 mL/min flow rate, but at increasing flow rate, the abundance of chlorobenzene M(+.) decreased and reagent ion populations deriving from different gas-phase chemistry were recorded. The formation of these reagent ions explains the decreasing ionization efficiency and the differences in charge exchange between the techniques. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Synthesis and atmospheric pressure field emission operation of W18O49 nanowires

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Agiral, A.; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.

2008-01-01

Tungsten oxide W18O49 nanorods with diameters of 15−20 nm were grown on tungsten thin films exposed to ethene and nitrogen at 700 °C at atmospheric pressure. It was found that tungsten carbide formation enhances nucleation and growth of nanorods. Atmospheric pressure field emission measurements in

Special issue: diagnostics of atmospheric pressure microplasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Bruggeman, Peter; Czarnetzki, Uwe; Tachibana, Kunihide

2013-11-01

, e.g. Werner von Siemens [9], who studied a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in the context of ozone generation. DBD discharges often consist of numerous filamentary discharges which are inherently transient in nature and with a characteristic size similar to the dimensions of microplasmas. Several groups are investigating the stabilization of such plasma filaments to perform temporal and spatial resolved diagnostics. To this end and due to the many similar challenges for diagnostics, this type of discharge is also included in this special issue. Research on microplasmas is performed in many groups spread all over the world, and a biannual workshop is devoted to the topic. The 7th edition of this International Workshop on Microplasmas was held in Beijing in May 2013. Large research programs consisting of clusters of research labs such as in Japan, Germany, France and the USA have been producing a wealth of information available in the literature. As the editors of this special issue, we are very pleased to have attracted a collection of excellent papers from leading experts in the field covering most of the current diagnostics performed in microplasmas. As an introduction to the regular special issue papers, a review paper is included [10]. It describes the key characteristics of atmospheric pressure plasmas and microplasmas in particular, and reviews the state of the art in plasma diagnostics. Special attention has been given in this review to highlighting the issues and challenges to probe microplasmas. The regular papers cover a large range of different diagnostics including coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) [11], (two-photon) laser induced fluorescence ((Ta)LIF) [12, 13, 18, 24], absorption spectroscopy [13-18], optical emission spectroscopy [12, 16-21, 24], imaging [22, 23], surface diagnostics [24, 25] and mass spectrometry [26, 27]. Different aspects of microplasmas are broadly investigated from a perspective of diagnostics, modelling and

The Effect of Varying Atmospheric Pressure upon Habitability and Biosignatures of Earth-like Planets.

Science.gov (United States)

Keles, Engin; Grenfell, John Lee; Godolt, Mareike; Stracke, Barbara; Rauer, Heike

2018-02-01

Understanding the possible climatic conditions on rocky extrasolar planets, and thereby their potential habitability, is one of the major subjects of exoplanet research. Determining how the climate, as well as potential atmospheric biosignatures, changes under different conditions is a key aspect when studying Earth-like exoplanets. One important property is the atmospheric mass, hence pressure and its influence on the climatic conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to understand the influence of atmospheric mass on climate, hence habitability, and the spectral appearance of planets with Earth-like, that is, N 2 -O 2 dominated, atmospheres orbiting the Sun at 1 AU. This work utilizes a 1D coupled, cloud-free, climate-photochemical atmospheric column model; varies atmospheric surface pressure from 0.5 to 30 bar; and investigates temperature and key species profiles, as well as emission and brightness temperature spectra in a range between 2 and 20 μm. Increasing the surface pressure up to 4 bar leads to an increase in the surface temperature due to increased greenhouse warming. Above this point, Rayleigh scattering dominates, and the surface temperature decreases, reaching surface temperatures below 273 K (approximately at ∼34 bar surface pressure). For ozone, nitrous oxide, water, methane, and carbon dioxide, the spectral response either increases with surface temperature or pressure depending on the species. Masking effects occur, for example, for the bands of the biosignatures ozone and nitrous oxide by carbon dioxide, which could be visible in low carbon dioxide atmospheres. Key Words: Planetary habitability and biosignatures-Atmospheres-Radiative transfer. Astrobiology 18, 116-132.

Relating landfill gas emissions to atmospheric pressure using numerical modeling and state-space analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poulsen, T.G.; Christophersen, Mette; Moldrup, P.

2003-01-01

were applied: (I) State-space analysis was used to identify relations between gas flux and short-term (hourly) variations in atmospheric pressure. (II) A numerical gas transport model was fitted to the data and used to quantify short-term impacts of variations in atmospheric pressure, volumetric soil......-water content, soil gas permeability, soil gas diffusion coefficients, and biological CH4 degradation rate upon landfill gas concentration and fluxes in the soil. Fluxes and concentrations were found to be most sensitive to variations in volumetric soil water content, atmospheric pressure variations and gas...... permeability whereas variations in CH4 oxidation rate and molecular coefficients had less influence. Fluxes appeared to be most sensitive to atmospheric pressure at intermediate distances from the landfill edge. Also overall CH4 fluxes out of the soil over longer periods (years) were largest during periods...

Surface modification of electrospun PVA/chitosan nanofibers by dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure and studies of their mechanical properties and biocompatibility.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Punamshree; Ojah, Namita; Kandimalla, Raghuram; Mohan, Kiranjyoti; Gogoi, Dolly; Dolui, Swapan Kumar; Choudhury, Arup Jyoti

2018-03-22

In this paper, surface of electrospun PVA/Cs nanofibers is modified using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma and the relationship between the observed mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the nanofibers and plasma-induced surface properties is discussed. Plasma treatment of electrospun PVA/Cs nanofibers is carried out with both inert (argon, Ar) and reactive (oxygen, O 2 ) gases at atmospheric pressure. Incorporation of oxygen-containing polar functional groups on the surface of Ar-plasma treated (PVA/Cs/Ar) and O 2 -plasma treated (PVA/Cs/O 2 ) nanofibers and increase in surface roughness contribute to the improvement of surface wettability and the decrease of contact angle with water of the nanofibers. Both PVA/Cs/Ar and PVA/Cs/O 2 nanofibers show high tensile strength (11.6-15.6%) and Young's modulus (33.8-37.3%) as compared to the untreated one. Experimental results show that in terms of haemolytic activity the PVA/Cs/Ar and PVA/Cs/O 2 nanofibers do not cause structural changes of blood cells and meet the biocompatibility requirements for blood-contacting polymeric materials. MTT cell viability results further reveals improvement in biocompatibility of PVA/Cs nanofibers after Ar and O 2 plasma treatment. The results suggest that DBD plasma treated electrospun PVA/Cs nanofibers have the potential to be used as wound dressing and scaffolds for tissue engineering. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sterilization and decontamination of surfaces using atmospheric pressure plasma discharges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garate, E.; Gornostaeva, O.; Alexeff, I.; Kang, W.L.

1999-07-01

The goal of the program is to demonstrate that an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge can rapidly and effectively sterilize or decontaminate surfaces that are contaminated with model biological and chemical warfare agents. The plasma is produced by corona discharge from an array of pins and a ground plane. The array is constructed so that various gases, like argon or helium, can be flowed past the pins where the discharge is initiated. The pin array can be biased using either DC. AC or pulsed discharges. the work done to date has focused on the sterilization of aluminum, polished steel and tantalum foil metal coupons, about 2 cm on a side and 2 mm thick, which have been inoculated with up to 10{sup 6} spores per coupon of Bacillus subtilis var niger or Bascillus stearothermorphilus. Results indicate that 5 minute exposures to the atmospheric pressure plasma discharge can reduce the viable spore count by 4 orders of magnitude. The atmospheric pressure discharge is also effective in decomposing organic phosphate compounds that are stimulants for chemical warfare agents. Details of the decomposition chemistry, by-product formation, and electrical energy consumption of the system will be discussed.

Dual-dermal-barrier fashion flaps for the treatment of sacral pressure sores.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsiao, Yen-Chang; Chuang, Shiow-Shuh

2015-02-01

The sacral region is one of the most vulnerable sites for the development of pressure sores. Even when surgical reconstruction is performed, there is a high chance of recurrence. Therefore, the concept of dual-dermal-barrier fashion flaps for sacral pressure sore reconstruction was proposed. From September 2007 to June 2010, nine patients with grade IV sacral pressures were enrolled. Four patients received bilateral myocutaneous V-Y flaps, four patients received bilateral fasciocutaneous V-Y flaps, and one patient received bilateral rotation-advanced flaps for sacral pressure reconstruction. The flaps were designed based on the perforators of the superior gluteal artery in one patient's reconstructive procedure. All flaps' designs were based on dual-dermal-barrier fashion. The mean follow-up time was 16 months (range = 12-25). No recurrence was noted. Only one patient had a complication of mild dehiscence at the middle suture line, occurring 2 weeks after the reconstructive surgery. The dual-dermal fashion flaps are easily duplicated and versatile. The study has shown minimal morbidity and a reasonable outcome.

Research of Infrared Imaging at Atmospheric Pressure Using a Substrate-Free Focal Plane Array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jian-Xiong; Cheng Teng; Zhang Qing-Chuan; Zhang Yong; Mao Liang; Gao Jie; Wu Xiao-Ping; Chen Da-Peng

2013-01-01

An equivalent circuit model to the substrate-free focal plane array (FPA) is established. Using this fast and effective model, the performance of infrared (IR) imaging at atmospheric pressure is investigated and it is found that the substrate-free FPA has the ability of IR imaging at atmospheric pressure, whereas it has a slightly degraded noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) as compared with IR imaging under a high vacuum. This feature is also identified experimentally by a substrate-free FPA with pixel size of 50 × 50 μm 2 . The NETDs are measured to be 160 mK at 10 −2 Pa pressure and 1.08 K at atmospheric pressure

Source of temperature and pressure pulsations during sessile droplet evaporation into multicomponent atmospheres.

Science.gov (United States)

Persad, Aaron H; Sefiane, Khellil; Ward, Charles A

2013-10-29

During sessile droplet evaporation, studies with IR thermography and shadowgraphs have indicated temperature pulsations. We confirm those observations with microthermocouples, but microthermocouples also indicate temperature pulsations in the atmosphere of the droplet. The pressure in this atmosphere pulsated as well and was correlated with the temperature pulsations in the droplet. Also, we find that if a droplet evaporates into its own vapor, there are no temperature or pressure pulsations. The pulsations occur only if the droplet evaporates into an atmosphere with a component having a heat of solution with the droplet when it adsorbs-absorbs. None of the currently proposed mechanisms for the temperature pulsations provide an explanation for the coupling between the temperature pulsations in the droplet and the vapor-phase pressure pulsations, and for the absence of the pulsations when the system is single-component. As a mechanism for the pulsations, we propose that when a droplet is exposed to an atmosphere containing a component that has a heat of solution with the droplet, energy will be released from adsorption-absorption. This energy will cause pulsations in the evaporation flux, and these pulsations could cause the observed temperature and pressure pulsations. We examine this mechanism by showing that, if the measured temperature pulsations in a water droplet exposed to a methanol atmosphere are used as the input to a theory of evaporation kinetics (statistical rate theory), the pressure pulsations of the water vapor in the methanol atmosphere are predicted and agree with those measured with a quadrupole mass analyzer. When the inputs and outputs are reversed in the theory, we find that the temperature pulsations in the droplet are correctly predicted from the measured water vapor pulsations in the atmosphere.

Atmospheric Airborne Pressure Measurements Using the Oxygen A Band for the ASCENDS Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Riris, Haris; Rodriguez, Mike; Stephen, Mark; Hasselbrack, William; Allan, Graham; Mao, Jiamping,; Kawa, Stephan R.; Weaver, Clark J.

2011-01-01

We report on airborne atmospheric pressure measurements using new fiber-based laser technology and the oxygen A-band at 765 nm. Remote measurements of atmospheric temperature and pressure are required for a number of NASA Earth science missions and specifically for the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions Over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission. Accurate measurements of tropospheric CO2 on a global scale are very important in order to better understand its sources and sinks and to improve predictions on any future climate change. The ultimate goal of a CO2 remote sensing mission, such as ASCENDS, is to derive the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere in terms of mole fraction in unit of parts-per-million (ppmv) with regard to dry air. Therefore, both CO2 and the dry air number of molecules in the atmosphere are needed in deriving this quantity. O2 is a stable molecule and uniformly mixed in the atmosphere. Measuring the O2 absorption in the atmosphere can thus be used to infer the dry air number of molecules and then used to calculate CO2 concentration. With the knowledge of atmospheric water vapor, we can then estimate the total surface pressure needed for CO2 retrievals. Our work, funded by the ESTO IIP program, uses fiber optic technology and non-linear optics to generate 765 nm laser radiation coincident with the Oxygen A-band. Our pulsed, time gated technique uses several on- and off-line wavelengths tuned to the O2 absorption line. The choice of wavelengths allows us to measure the pressure by using two adjacent O2 absorptions in the Oxygen A-band. Our retrieval algorithm fits the O2 lineshapes and derives the pressure. Our measurements compare favorably with a local weather monitor mounted outside our laboratory and a local weather station.

Tumultuous atmosphere (physical, mental), the main barrier to emergency department inter-professional communication.

Science.gov (United States)

Jafari Varjoshani, Nasrin; Hosseini, Mohammad Ali; Khankeh, Hamid Reza; Ahmadi, Fazlollah

2014-08-22

A highly important factor in enhancing quality of patient care and job satisfaction of health care staff is inter-professional communication. Due to the critical nature of the work environment, the large number of staff and units, and complexity of professional tasks and interventions, inter-professional communication in an emergency department is particularly and exceptionally important. Despite its importance, inter-professional communication in emergency department seems unfavorable. Thus, this study was designed to explain barriers to inter-professional communication in an emergency department. This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach, based on interviews conducted with 26 participants selected purposively, with diversity of occupation, position, age, gender, history, and place of work. Interviews were in-depth and semi-structured, and data were analyzed using the inductive content analysis approach. In total, 251 initial codes were extracted from 30 interviews (some of the participants re-interviewed) and in the reducing trend of final results, 5 categories were extracted including overcrowded emergency, stressful emergency environment, not discerning emergency conditions, ineffective management, and inefficient communication channels. Tumultuous atmosphere (physical, mental) was the common theme between categories, and was decided to be the main barrier to effective inter-professional communication. Tumultuous atmosphere (physical-mental) was found to be the most important barrier to inter-professional communication. This study provided a better understanding of these barriers in emergency department, often neglected in most studies. It is held that by reducing environmental turmoil (physical-mental), inter-professional communication can be improved, thereby improving patient care outcomes and personnel job satisfaction.

Seasonal emanation of radon at Ghuttu, northwest Himalaya: Differentiation of atmospheric temperature and pressure influences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamra, Leena

2015-01-01

Continuous monitoring of radon along with meteorological parameters has been carried out in a seismically active area of Garhwal region, northwest Himalaya, within the frame work of earthquake precursory research. Radon measurements are carried out by using a gamma ray detector installed in the air column at a depth of 10 m in a 68 m deep borehole. The analysis of long time series for 2006–2012 shows strong seasonal variability masked by diurnal and multi-day variations. Isolation of a seasonal cycle by minimising short-time by 31 day running average shows a strong seasonal variation with unambiguous dependence on atmospheric temperature and pressure. The seasonal characteristics of radon concentrations are positively correlated to atmospheric temperature (R=0.95) and negatively correlated to atmospheric pressure (R=−0.82). The temperature and pressure variation in their annual progressions are negatively correlated. The calculations of partial correlation coefficient permit us to conclude that atmospheric temperature plays a dominant role in controlling the variability of radon in borehole, 71% of the variability in radon arises from the variation in atmospheric temperature and about 6% of the variability is contributed by atmospheric pressure. The influence of pressure variations in an annual cycle appears to be a pseudo-effect, resulting from the negative correlation between temperature and pressure variations. Incorporation of these results explains the varying and even contradictory claims regarding the influence of the pressure variability on radon changes in the published literature. Temperature dependence, facilitated by the temperature gradient in the borehole, controls the transportation of radon from the deep interior to the surface. - Highlights: • Seasonal variability of radon in borehole. • Influence of atmospheric temperature and pressure on radon variability. • Partial correlation coefficient.

Homogeneous dielectric barrier discharges in atmospheric air and its influencing factor

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, Junxia; Li, Caixia; Ma, Dong; Luo, Haiyun; Li, Xiaowei

2018-03-01

The stable homogeneous dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is obtained in atmospheric 2-3 mm air gap. It is generated using center frequency 1 kHz high voltage power supply between two plane parallel electrodes with specific alumina ceramic plates as the dielectric barriers. The discharge characteristics are studied by a measurement of its electrical discharge parameters and observation of its light emission phenomena. The results show that a large single current pulse of about 200 μs duration appearing in each voltage pulse, and its light emission is radially homogeneous and covers the entire surface of the two electrodes. The homogeneous discharge generated is a Townsend discharge during discharge. The influences of applied barrier, its thickness, and surface roughness on the transition of discharge modes are studied. The results show that it is difficult to produce a homogeneous discharge using smooth plates or alumina plate surface roughness Ra material, dielectric thickness, and dielectric surface roughness should be used, and proper applied voltage amplitude and frequency should also be used.

Germination and growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) at low atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Spanarkel, Robert; Drew, Malcolm C.

2002-01-01

The response of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Waldmann's Green) to low atmospheric pressure was examined during the initial 5 days of germination and emergence, and also during subsequent growth to vegetative maturity at 30 days. Growth took place inside a 66-l-volume low pressure chamber maintained at 70 kPa, and plant response was compared to that of plants in a second, matching chamber that was at ambient pressure (approximately 101 kPa) as a control. In other experiments, to determine short-term effects of low pressure transients, plants were grown at ambient pressure until maturity and then subjected to alternating periods of 24 h of low and ambient atmospheric pressures. In all treatments the partial pressure of O2 was maintained at 21 kPa (approximately the partial pressure in air at normal pressure), and the partial pressure of CO2 was in the range 66.5-73.5 Pa (about twice that in normal air) in both chambers, with the addition of CO2 during the light phase. With continuous exposure to low pressure, shoot and root growth was at least as rapid as at ambient pressure, with an overall trend towards slightly greater performance at the lower pressure. Dark respiration rates were greater at low pressure. Transient periods at low pressure decreased transpiration and increased dark respiration but only during the period of exposure to low pressure. We conclude that long-term or short-term exposure to subambient pressure (70 kPa) was without detectable detriment to vegetative growth and development.

Penetration of a dielectric barrier discharge plasma into textile structures at medium pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geyter, N De; Morent, R; Leys, C

2006-01-01

Plasma treatment of textiles is becoming more and more popular as a surface modification technique. Plasma treatment changes the outermost layer of a material without interfering with the bulk properties. However, textiles are several millimetres thick and need to be treated homogeneously throughout the entire thickness. To control the penetration depth of the plasma effect, it is necessary to study the influence of operating parameters. Three layers of a 100% polyester non-woven are treated in the medium pressure range (0.3-7 kPa) with a dielectric barrier discharge to study the influence of pressure and treatment time. Current and voltage waveforms and Lichtenberg figures are used to characterize the discharge. Process pressure proved to have an important effect on the penetration of the plasma through the textile layers. This is caused not only by the pressure dependence of diffusive transport of textile modifying particles but also by a different behaviour of the barrier discharge

A new humane method of stunning broilers using low atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

This research project evaluated an alternative method of controlled atmosphere stunning of commercial broilers to induce anoxia utilizing a vacuum pump to reduce the oxygen tension, low atmospheric pressure stun (LAPS). A custom built 2 cage-module system (holding a total of 600 broilers each) with...

Keratinocytes at the uppermost layer of epidermis might act as sensors of atmospheric pressure change.

Science.gov (United States)

Denda, Mitsuhiro

2016-01-01

It has long been suggested that climate, especially atmospheric pressure change, can cause health problems ranging from migraine to myocardial infarction. Here, I hypothesize that the sensory system of epidermal keratinocytes mediates the influence of atmospheric pressure change on the human physiological condition. We previously demonstrated that even subtle changes of atmospheric pressure (5-20 hPa) induce elevation of intracellular calcium level in cultured human keratinocytes (excitation of keratinocytes). It is also established that communication occurs between epidermal keratinocytes and peripheral nerve systems. Moreover, various neurotransmitters and hormones that influence multiple systems (nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune systems) are generated and released from epidermal keratinocytes in response to various external stimuli. Thus, I suggest that pathophysiological phenomena induced by atmospheric pressure changes might be triggered by epidermal keratinocytes.

Achieving uniform layer deposition by atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jae-Ok [Department of Plasma Engineering, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Woo Seok, E-mail: kang@kimm.re.kr [Department of Plasma Engineering, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Environment & Energy Mechanical Engineering, University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Hur, Min; Lee, Jin Young [Department of Plasma Engineering, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Young-Hoon [Department of Plasma Engineering, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM), Daejeon 305-343 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Environment & Energy Mechanical Engineering, University of Science & Technology (UST), Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-12-31

This work investigates the use of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition under atmospheric pressure for achieving uniform layer formation. Electrical and optical measurements demonstrated that the counterbalance between oxygen and precursors maintained the homogeneous discharge mode, while creating intermediate species for layer deposition. Several steps of the deposition process of the layers, which were processed on a stationary stage, were affected by flow stream and precursor depletion. This study showed that by changing the flow streamlines using substrate stage motion uniform layer deposition under atmospheric pressure can be achieved. - Highlights: • Zirconium oxide was deposited by atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. • Homogeneous plasma was maintained by counterbalancing between discharge gas and precursors. • Several deposition steps were observed affected by the gas flow stream and precursor depletion. • Thin film layer was uniformly grown when the substrate underwent a sweeping motion.

Atmospheric Pressure Variation is a Delayed Trigger for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

Science.gov (United States)

van Donkelaar, Carlina E; Potgieser, Adriaan R E; Groen, Henk; Foumani, Mahrouz; Abdulrahman, Herrer; Sluijter, Rob; van Dijk, J Marc C; Groen, Rob J M

2018-04-01

There is an ongoing search for conditions that induce spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The seasonal pattern of SAH is shown in a large meta-analysis of the literature, but its explanation remains undecided. There is a clear need for sound meteorologic data to further elucidate the seasonal influence on SAH. Because of the stable and densely monitored atmospheric situation in the north of the Netherlands, we reviewed our unique cohort on the seasonal incidence of SAH and the association between SAH and local atmospheric changes. Our observational cohort study included 1535 patients with spontaneous SAH admitted to our neurovascular center in the north of the Netherlands between 2000 and 2015. Meteorologic data could be linked to the day of the ictus. To compare SAH incidences over the year and to test the association with meteorologic conditions, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used, calculated by Poisson regression analyses. Atmospheric pressure variations were significantly associated with aneurysmal SAH. In particular, the pressure change on the second and third day before the ictus was independently correlated to a higher incidence of aneurysmal SAH (IRR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.23). The IRR for aneurysmal SAH in July was calculated 0.67 (95% CI, 0.49-0.92) after adjustment for temperature and atmospheric pressure changes. Atmospheric pressure variations are a delayed trigger for aneurysmal SAH. Also, a significantly decreased incidence of aneurysmal SAH was noted in July. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of Ionization Coefficient of Atmospheric Helium in Dielectric Barrier Discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhuo, Liang; Hai-Yun, Luo; Xin-Xin, Wang; Bo, Lv; Zhi-Cheng, Guan; Li-Ming, Wang

2008-01-01

A weakly luminous layer close to the anode is observed at time far ahead of the current pulse in dielectric barrier discharge of helium at atmospheric pressure and it is considered as the result of a very weak Townsend discharge. Based on the assumption that the space charge produced by this Townsend discharge is too small to distort the uniform electric field in the gas gap, the electrons have more or less the same energy over the entire gap and the spatial distribution of the discharge light is proportional to the distribution of electron density. This light distribution is obtained by processing side-view photograph of discharge gap using an intensified charge coupled device camera with an exposure time of 20 ns. By fitting a theoretically derived formula with the measured curve of light distribution, the Townsend electron ionization coefficient a is determined to be 31 cm −1 at E/p = 3.6 V·cm −1 ·Torr −1 , which is much higher than that obtained by solving the Boltzmann equation of pure helium. It is believed that penning ionization of helium metastables with impurity of nitrogen molecules makes great contribution to the experimentally determined α value. The contribution of this penning ionization to α is roughly estimated. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of fluorinated phenols in atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry, and ion mobility spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Eiceman, G. A.; Bergloff, J. F.; Rodriguez, J. E.; Munro, W.; Karpas, Z.

1999-01-01

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI)-mass spectrometry (MS) for fluorinated phenols (C6H5-xFxOH Where x = 0-5) in nitrogen with Cl- as the reagent ion yielded product ions of M Cl- through ion associations or (M-H)- through proton abstractions. Proton abstraction was controllable by potentials on the orifice and first lens, suggesting that some proton abstraction occurs through collision induced dissociation (CID) in the interface region. This was proven using CID of adduct ions (M Cl-) with Q2 studies where adduct ions were dissociated to Cl- or proton abstracted to (M-H)-. The extent of proton abstraction depended upon ion energy and structure in order of calculated acidities: pentafluorophenol > tetrafluorophenol > trifluorophenol > difluorophenol. Little or no proton abstraction occurred for fluorophenol, phenol, or benzyl alcohol analogs. Ion mobility spectrometry was used to determine if proton abstraction reactions passed through an adduct intermediate with thermalized ions and mobility spectra for all chemicals were obtained from 25 to 200 degrees C. Proton abstraction from M Cl- was not observed at any temperature for phenol, monofluorophenol, or difluorophenol. Mobility spectra for trifluorophenol revealed the kinetic transformations to (M-H)- either from M Cl- or from M2 Cl- directly. Proton abstraction was the predominant reaction for tetra- and penta-fluorophenols. Consequently, the evidence suggests that proton abstraction occurs from an adduct ion where the reaction barrier is reduced with increasing acidity of the O-H bond in C6H5-xFxOH.

Electrical and spectral characteristics of an atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet generated with tube-ring electrodes in surface dielectric barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Y. [Institute of Electrostatics and Special Power, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Weinan Teachers University, Weinan 71400 (China); Lu, N. [Institute of Electrostatics and Special Power, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Pan, J. [Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, Weinan Teachers University, Weinan 71400 (China); Li, J., E-mail: lijie@dlut.edu.cn [Institute of Electrostatics and Special Power, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Wu, Y. [Institute of Electrostatics and Special Power, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

2013-03-01

An atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet is generated with tube-ring electrodes in surface dielectric barrier discharge by a sinusoidal excitation voltage at 8 kHz. The electrical and spectral characteristics are estimated such as conduction and displacement current, electric-field, electron temperature, rotational temperature of N{sub 2} and OH, electronic excitation temperature, and oxygen atomic density. It is found that the electric-field magnitudes in the top area of the ground electrode are higher than that in the bottom area of the power electrode, and the electron temperature along radial direction is in the range of 9.6–10.4 eV and along axial direction in the range of 4.9–10 eV. The rotational temperature of N{sub 2} obtained by comparing the simulated spectrum with the measured spectrum at the C{sup 3}Π{sub u} → B{sup 3}Π{sub g}(Δv = − 2) band transition is in the range of 342–387 K, the electronic excitation temperature determined by Boltzmann's plot method is in the range of 3188–3295 K, and the oxygen atomic density estimated by the spectral intensity ratio of atomic oxygen line λ = 844.6 nm to argon line λ = 750.4 nm is in the order of magnitude of 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3}, respectively. - Highlights: ► The conduction and displacement current are calculated by equivalent circuit diagram. ► The 2D distribution of electric-field magnitude is calculated by ElecNet software. ► The electron temperature along axial direction is in the range of 4.9–10 eV. ► The oxygen atomic density is about a magnitude of 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3}.

Investigation of surface treatment of conductive wire in cylindrical atmospheric pressure plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye Rubin; Kagohashi, Tsutomu; Zheng Wei

2009-01-01

Polyethylene insulated electric wire was treated in He and Ar dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric pressure plasmas generated in a quartz tube wound with tubular electrodes. The wire was put penetrating through the high voltage and the grounded electrodes, improving the discharge and facilitating uniform surface treatment. In this work, the influences of conductivity of the wire on the effects of surface treatment and discharge behavior were investigated. Surface properties of the wire samples were analyzed by means of surface energy measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In order to reveal the mechanism for treating the conductive wire, I-V discharge waveforms were measured and time-resolved plasma images were taken. It was demonstrated that the conductive wire was involved in the discharge process, reducing the breakdown voltage significantly and enhancing the discharge. It shows that the discharge mode was strongly dependent on the conductivity of a wire. Intensive surface discharges developed along the conductive wire were found to be mainly responsible for noticeable improvement in the treatment effect.

The ionization mechanisms in direct and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization and atmospheric pressure laser ionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauppila, Tiina J; Kersten, Hendrik; Benter, Thorsten

2014-11-01

A novel, gas-tight API interface for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to study the ionization mechanism in direct and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI). Eight analytes (ethylbenzene, bromobenzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzaldehyde, pyridine, quinolone, and acridine) with varying ionization energies (IEs) and proton affinities (PAs), and four common APPI dopants (toluene, acetone, anisole, and chlorobenzene) were chosen. All the studied compounds were ionized by direct APPI, forming mainly molecular ions. Addition of dopants suppressed the signal of the analytes with IEs above the IE of the dopant. For compounds with suitable IEs or Pas, the dopants increased the ionization efficiency as the analytes could be ionized through dopant-mediated gas-phase reactions, such as charge exchange, proton transfer, and other rather unexpected reactions, such as formation of [M + 77](+) in the presence of chlorobenzene. Experiments with deuterated toluene as the dopant verified that in case of proton transfer, the proton originated from the dopant instead of proton-bound solvent clusters, as in conventional open or non-tight APPI sources. In direct APLI using a 266 nm laser, a narrower range of compounds was ionized than in direct APPI, because of exceedingly high IEs or unfavorable two-photon absorption cross-sections. Introduction of dopants in the APLI system changed the ionization mechanism to similar dopant-mediated gas-phase reactions with the dopant as in APPI, which produced mainly ions of the same form as in APPI, and ionized a wider range of analytes than direct APLI.

The updated bottom up solution applied to atmospheric pressure photoionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

The Updated Bottom Up Solution (UBUS) was recently applied to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) of triacylglycerols (TAGs). This report demonstrates that the UBUS applies equally well to atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) MS and to electrospray ionizatio...

The effect of atmospheric temperature and pressure on the occurrence of acute myocardial infarction in Kaunas.

Science.gov (United States)

Radišauskas, Ričardas; Vaičiulis, Vidmantas; Ustinavičienė, Rūta; Bernotienė, Gailutė

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of meteorological variables (atmospheric temperature and pressure) on the daily occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIAL AND METHODS. The study used the daily values of atmospheric temperature and pressure in 2000-2007. The meteorological data were obtained from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service for Kaunas. The relative risks of event occurrence were computed for 5°C atmospheric temperature and for 10-hPa atmospheric pressure variations by means of the Poisson regression model. RESULTS. The occurrence of AMI and atmospheric temperature showed an inverse linear relationship, while the occurrence of AMI and atmospheric pressure, a positive linear relationship. Among the youngest subjects (25-44 years old), no relationships were detected. Contrary, among the subjects aged 45-64 years and those aged 65 years and older, the occurrence of AMI significantly decreased with higher temperature (P=0.001 and P=0.002, respectively). A decrease in atmospheric temperature by 10ºC reduced the risk of AMI by 8.7% in the age groups of 45-64 and 65 years and older and by 19% in the age group of 25 years and older. Among the first AMI cases, the risk increased by 7.5% in the age group of 45-64-year olds and by 6.4% in the age group of 25-64-year olds. The relationship between atmospheric temperature and pressure, and AMI occurrence was found to be linear but inverse. An increase in atmospheric pressure by 10 hPa resulted in an increase in risk by 4% among the subjects aged 65 years and more and by 3% among the subjects aged 25 years and more. CONCLUSIONS. Atmospheric temperature and pressure variations had the greatest effect on middle-aged and aging subjects (starting from 45 years). At younger age, the effect of such factors on the AMI risk was considerably lower.

Seasonal emanation of radon at Ghuttu, northwest Himalaya: Differentiation of atmospheric temperature and pressure influences.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamra, Leena

2015-11-01

Continuous monitoring of radon along with meteorological parameters has been carried out in a seismically active area of Garhwal region, northwest Himalaya, within the frame work of earthquake precursory research. Radon measurements are carried out by using a gamma ray detector installed in the air column at a depth of 10m in a 68m deep borehole. The analysis of long time series for 2006-2012 shows strong seasonal variability masked by diurnal and multi-day variations. Isolation of a seasonal cycle by minimising short-time by 31 day running average shows a strong seasonal variation with unambiguous dependence on atmospheric temperature and pressure. The seasonal characteristics of radon concentrations are positively correlated to atmospheric temperature (R=0.95) and negatively correlated to atmospheric pressure (R=-0.82). The temperature and pressure variation in their annual progressions are negatively correlated. The calculations of partial correlation coefficient permit us to conclude that atmospheric temperature plays a dominant role in controlling the variability of radon in borehole, 71% of the variability in radon arises from the variation in atmospheric temperature and about 6% of the variability is contributed by atmospheric pressure. The influence of pressure variations in an annual cycle appears to be a pseudo-effect, resulting from the negative correlation between temperature and pressure variations. Incorporation of these results explains the varying and even contradictory claims regarding the influence of the pressure variability on radon changes in the published literature. Temperature dependence, facilitated by the temperature gradient in the borehole, controls the transportation of radon from the deep interior to the surface. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment of oral cancer cells with nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet

Science.gov (United States)

Yurkovich, James; Han, Xu; Coffey, Benjamin; Klas, Matej; Ptasinska, Sylwia

2012-10-01

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas are specialized types of plasma that are proposed as a new agent to induce death in cancer cells. The experimental phase of this study will test the application of such plasma to SCC-25 oral cancer cells to determine if it is possible to induce apoptosis or necrosis. Different sources are used on the cells to find a configuration which kills cancer cells but has no effect on normal cells. The sources have been developed based on the dielectric barrier discharge between two external electrodes surrounding a dielectric tube; such a configuration has been shown to induce breaks in DNA strands. Each configuration is characterized using an optical emission spectrophotometer and iCCD camera to determine the optimal conditions for inducing cell death. The cells are incubated after irradiation with plasma, and cell death is determined using microscopy imaging to identify antibody interaction within the cells. These studies are important for better understanding of plasma species interactions with cancer cells and mechanisms of DNA damage and at latter stage they will be useful for the development of advanced cancer therapy.

DNA damage in oral cancer cells induced by nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jets

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xu; Klas, Matej; Liu, Yueying; Stack, M. Sharon; Ptasinska, Sylwia

2013-09-01

The nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) has been shown to effectively induce DNA double strand breaks in SCC-25 oral cancer cells. The APPJ source constructed in our laboratory consists of two external electrodes wrapping around a quartz tube and nitrogen as a feed gas and operates based on dielectric barrier gas discharge. Generally, it is more challenging to ignite plasma in N2 atmosphere than in noble gases. However, this design provides additional advantages such as lower costs compared to the noble gases for future clinical operation. Different parameters of the APPJ configuration were tested in order to determine radiation dosage. To explore the effects of delayed damage and cell self-repairing, various incubation times of cells after plasma treatment were also performed. Reactive species generated in plasma jet and in liquid environment are essential to be identified and quantified, with the aim of unfolding the mystery of detailed mechanisms for plasma-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, from the comparison of plasma treatment effect on normal oral cells OKF6T, an insight to the selectivity for cancer treatment by APPJ can be explored. All of these studies are critical to better understand the damage responses of normal and abnormal cellular systems to plasma radiation, which are useful for the development of advanced plasma therapy for cancer treatment at a later stage.

Physiological responses to low atmospheric pressure stunning and the implications for welfare

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mckeegan, D.E.F.; Sandercock, D.A.; Gerritzen, M.A.

2013-01-01

In low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS), poultry are rendered unconscious before slaughter by gradually reducing oxygen tension in the atmosphere to achieve a progressive anoxia. The effects of LAPS are not instantaneous, so there are legitimate welfare concerns around the experience of birds

Analysis of atmospheric pressure and temperature effects on cosmic ray measurements

Science.gov (United States)

de MendonçA, R. R. S.; Raulin, J.-P.; Echer, E.; Makhmutov, V. S.; Fernandez, G.

2013-04-01

In this paper, we analyze atmospheric pressure and temperature effects on the records of the cosmic ray detector CARPET. This detector has monitored secondary cosmic ray intensity since 2006 at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito (San Juan, Argentina, 31°S, 69°W, 2550 m over sea level) where the geomagnetic rigidity cutoff, Rc, is ~9.8 GV. From the correlation between atmospheric pressure deviations and relative cosmic ray variations, we obtain a barometric coefficient of -0.44 ± 0.01 %/hPa. Once the data are corrected for atmospheric pressure, they are used to analyze temperature effects using four methods. Three methods are based on the surface temperature and the temperature at the altitude of maximum production of secondary cosmic rays. The fourth method, the integral method, takes into account the temperature height profile between 14 and 111 km above Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito. The results obtained from these four methods are compared on different time scales from seasonal time variations to scales related to the solar activity cycle. Our conclusion is that the integral method leads to better results to remove the temperature effect of the cosmic ray intensity observed at ground level.

Influence of ultrasonic irradiation on ozone generation in a dielectric barrier discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusano, Y; Drews, J; Leipold, F; Fateev, A; Bardenshtein, A; Krebs, N

2012-01-01

An atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was generated in an N 2 /O 2 gas mixture at room temperature with and without ultrasonic irradiation to investigate ozone production. Powerful ultrasonic irradiation with the sound pressure level of approximately 150 dB into the DBD can enhance ozone production especially when the DBD was driven at a frequency of 15 kHz.

N-2(A(3)Sigma(+)(u)) time evolution in N-2 atmospheric pressure surface dielectric barrier discharge driven by ac voltage under modulated regime

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ambrico, P. F.; Šimek, Milan; Dilecce, G.; De Benedictis, S.

2009-01-01

Roč. 94, č. 23 (2009), s. 231503-231503 ISSN 0003-6951 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/08/1106 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : Atmospheric pressure surface-DBD * Nitrogen metastable * LIF * Optical emission spectroscopy Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.554, year: 2009

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatment of Salmonella Enteritidis inoculated eggshells.

Science.gov (United States)

Moritz, Maike; Wiacek, Claudia; Koethe, Martin; Braun, Peggy G

2017-03-20

Contamination of eggshells with Salmonella Enteritidis remains a food safety concern. In many cases human salmonellosis within the EU can be traced back to raw or undercooked eggs and egg products. Atmospheric pressure plasma is a novel decontamination method that can reduce a wide range of pathogens. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of using an effective short time cold plasma treatment to inactivate Salmonella Enteritidis on the eggshell. Therefore, artificially contaminated eggshells were treated with an atmospheric pressure plasma jet under different experimental settings with various exposure times (15-300s), distances from the plasma jet nozzle to the eggshell surface (5, 8 or 12mm), feed gas compositions (Ar, Ar with 0.2, 0.5 or 1.0% O 2 ), gas flow rates (5 and 7slm) and different inoculations of Salmonella Enteritidis (10 1 -10 6 CFU/cm 2 ). Atmospheric pressure plasma could reduce Salmonella Enteritidis on eggshells significantly. Reduction factors ranged between 0.22 and 2.27 log CFU (colony-forming units). Exposure time and, particularly at 10 4 CFU/cm 2 inoculation, feed gas had a major impact on Salmonella reduction. Precisely, longer exposure times led to higher reductions and Ar as feed gas was more effective than ArO 2 mixtures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Super-atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry and its application to ultrafast online protein digestion analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lee Chuin; Ninomiya, Satoshi; Hiraoka, Kenzo

2016-06-01

Ion source pressure plays a significant role in the process of ionization and the subsequent ion transmission inside a mass spectrometer. Pressurizing the ion source to a gas pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is a relatively new approach that aims to further improve the performance of atmospheric pressure ionization sources. For example, under a super-atmospheric pressure environment, a stable electrospray can be sustained for liquid with high surface tension such as pure water, because of the suppression of electric discharge. Even for nano-electrospray ionization (nano-ESI), which is known to work with aqueous solution, its stability and sensitivity can also be enhanced, particularly in the negative mode when the ion source is pressurized. A brief review on the development of super-atmospheric pressure ion sources, including high-pressure electrospray, field desorption and superheated ESI, and the strategies to interface these ion sources to a mass spectrometer will be given. Using a recent ESI prototype with an operating temperature at 220 °C under 27 atm, we also demonstrate that it is possible to achieve an online Asp-specific protein digestion analysis in which the whole processes of digestion, ionization and MS acquisition could be completed on the order of a few seconds. This method is fast, and the reaction can even be monitored on a near-real-time basis. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ATMOSPHERE PRESSURE EFFECT ON THE FIBER OPTIC GYROSCOPE OUTPUT SYGNAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilya A. Sharkov

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The paper describes research results of the atmospheric pressure effect on the output signal of a fiber optic gyroscope (FOG. In the course of experiments, FOG was placed into a hermetic chamber. The atmosphere pressure was varying in the range from 0.8 to 1.5 atm. All the data, including the FOG output signal, temperature, and data from the pressure sensor installed inside the FOG, were synchronously registered with the computer software. The separation of scale factor change from zero offset in the experiment was carried out by setting the sensitive FOG axis at 0°, 90° and 270° relative to the East (the FOG was set perpendicular to the horizon. After the data processing it was concluded that the FOG signal error associated with the pressure affects mainly on the additive component. The pressure effect on the multiplicative component appeared to be negligible at rotational velocities used in the experiment (0 - 130 /h. At the same time, the FOG signal has a high linear correlation coefficient with the derivative of pressure over time (in some cases, more than 0.9. The experiment was repeated several times and the high degree of the drift repeatability was shown. That makes it possible to implement the compensation algorithm. Application of the simplest algorithmic compensation based on the polynomial of the first degree (ax + b enabled to reduce the root-mean-square (RMS and drift of the signal by 2-9 times.

Atmospheric pressure loading parameters from very long baseline interferometry observations

Science.gov (United States)

Macmillan, D. S.; Gipson, John M.

1994-01-01

Atmospheric mass loading produces a primarily vertical displacement of the Earth's crust. This displacement is correlated with surface pressure and is large enough to be detected by very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) measurements. Using the measured surface pressure at VLBI stations, we have estimated the atmospheric loading term for each station location directly from VLBI data acquired from 1979 to 1992. Our estimates of the vertical sensitivity to change in pressure range from 0 to -0.6 mm/mbar depending on the station. These estimates agree with inverted barometer model calculations (Manabe et al., 1991; vanDam and Herring, 1994) of the vertical displacement sensitivity computed by convolving actual pressure distributions with loading Green's functions. The pressure sensitivity tends to be smaller for stations near the coast, which is consistent with the inverted barometer hypothesis. Applying this estimated pressure loading correction in standard VLBI geodetic analysis improves the repeatability of estimated lengths of 25 out of 37 baselines that were measured at least 50 times. In a root-sum-square (rss) sense, the improvement generally increases with baseline length at a rate of about 0.3 to 0.6 ppb depending on whether the baseline stations are close to the coast. For the 5998-km baseline from Westford, Massachusetts, to Wettzell, Germany, the rss improvement is about 3.6 mm out of 11.0 mm. The average rss reduction of the vertical scatter for inland stations ranges from 2.7 to 5.4 mm.

Correlation between the season, temperature and atmospheric pressure with incidence and pathogenesis of acute appendicitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Karanikolić, Aleksandar; Karanikolić, Vesna; Djordjević, Lidija; Pešić, Ivan

2016-01-01

There is very little literature data on the correlation between the seasons, temperature and atmospheric pressure, and pathogenesis of acute appendicitis (AA). The aim of this research is to investigate the association between the seasons, changes in atmospheric temperature and pressure, and patients’ age and severity of the clinical form of AA in the city of Niš This study included 395 patients diagnosed with AA, who, during the two-year period, from July 1st 2011 to June 30th 2013, were hospitalized and operated on at the Department of General Surgery, Clinical Center in Niš, Serbia. The increased average daily values of barometric pressure by 1 millibar on the day when the event took place was associated (p atmospheric temperature and pressure.

Atmospheric sugar alcohols: evaporation rates and saturation vapor pressures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bilde, Merete; Zardini, Alessandro Alessio; Hong, Juan

alcohols. These polyols are common in the water soluble fraction of atmospheric aerosols. In our experimental system sub-micron particles are generated by nebulization from aqueous solution, and a mono disperse fraction of the aerosol is selected using a differential mobility analyzer. The particles......The atmospheric partitioning between gas and condensed phase of organic molecules is poorly understood, and discrepancies exist between predicted and observed concentrations of secondary organic aerosols. A key problem is the lack of information about thermodynamic properties of semi- and low...... volatile organic molecules. Saturation vapor pressure and the associated temperature dependence (dH) are key parameters for improving predictive atmospheric models. In this work we combine experiments and thermodynamic modeling to investigate these parameters for a series of polyols, so-called sugar...

Characterization of transient discharges under atmospheric-pressure conditions applying nitrogen photoemission and current measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, Sandra; Rajasekaran, Priyadarshini; Bibinov, Nikita; Awakowicz, Peter

2012-01-01

The plasma parameters such as electron distribution function and electron density of three atmospheric-pressure transient discharges namely filamentary and homogeneous dielectric barrier discharges in air, and the spark discharge of an argon plasma coagulation (APC) system are determined. A combination of numerical simulation as well as diagnostic methods including current measurement and optical emission spectroscopy (OES) based on nitrogen emissions is used. The applied methods supplement each other and resolve problems, which arise when these methods are used individually. Nitrogen is used as a sensor gas and is admixed in low amount to argon for characterizing the APC discharge. Both direct and stepwise electron-impact excitation of nitrogen emissions are included in the plasma-chemical model applied for characterization of these transient discharges using OES where ambiguity arises in the determination of plasma parameters under specific discharge conditions. It is shown that the measured current solves this problem by providing additional information useful for the determination of discharge-specific plasma parameters. (paper)

Propagation of atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet into ambient air at laminar gas flow

Science.gov (United States)

Pinchuk, M.; Stepanova, O.; Kurakina, N.; Spodobin, V.

2017-05-01

The formation of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in a gas flow passing through the discharge gap depends on both gas-dynamic properties and electrophysical parameters of the plasma jet generator. The paper presents the results of experimental and numerical study of the propagation of the APPJ in a laminar flow of helium. A dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) generated inside a quartz tube equipped with a coaxial electrode system, which provided gas passing through it, served as a plasma source. The transition of the laminar regime of gas flow into turbulent one was controlled by the photography of a formed plasma jet. The corresponding gas outlet velocity and Reynolds numbers were revealed experimentally and were used to simulate gas dynamics with OpenFOAM software. The data of the numerical simulation suggest that the length of plasma jet at the unvarying electrophysical parameters of DBD strongly depends on the mole fraction of ambient air in a helium flow, which is established along the direction of gas flow.

Ultrapressure liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay using atmospheric pressure photoionization (UPLC-APPI-MS/MS) for quantification of 4-methoxydiphenylmethane in pharmacokinetic evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Farhan, Nashid; Fitzpatrick, Sean; Shim, Yun M; Paige, Mikell; Chow, Diana Shu-Lian

2016-09-05

4-Methoxydiphenylmethane (4-MDM), a selective augmenter of Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase (LTA4H), is a new anti-inflammatory compound for potential treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Currently, there is no liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of 4-MDM. A major barrier for developing the LC-MS/MS method is the inability of electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) to ionize 4-MDM due to its hydrophobicity and lack of any functional group for ionization. With the advent of atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) technique, many hydrophobic compounds have been demonstrated to ionize by charge transfer reactions. In this study, a highly sensitive ultrapressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assay using atmospheric pressure photoionization (UPLC-APPI-MS/MS) for the quantifications of 4-MDM in rat plasma has been developed and validated. 4-MDM was extracted from the plasma by solid phase extraction (SPE) and separated chromatographically using a reverse phase C8 column. The photoionization (PI) was achieved by introducing anisole as a dopant to promote the reaction of charge transfer. The assay with a linear range of 5 (LLOQ)-400ngmL(-1) met the regulatory requirements for accuracy, precision and stability. The validated assay was employed to quantify the plasma concentrations of 4-MDM after an oral dosing in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of DC argon plasma jet at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Jianhua; Ma Zengyi; Pan Xinchao; Cen Kefa; Bruno, C

2006-01-01

An original DC double anode plasma torch operating with argon at atmospheric pressure which provides a long time and highly stable plasma jet is analyzed through its electrical and optical signals. Effects of gas flow rate and current intensity on the arc dynamics behaviour are studied using standard diagnostic tools such as FFT and correlation function. An increasing current-voltage characteristic is reported for different argon flow rates. It is noted that the takeover mode is characteristic for argon plasma jet and arc fluctuations in our case are mainly induced by the undulation of torch power supply. Furthermore, the excitation temperatures and electron densities of the plasma jet inside and outside the arc chamber have been determined by means of optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The criteria for the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) in plasma is then discussed. The results show that argon plasma jet at atmospheric pressure under our experimental conditions is close to LTE. (authors)

Formation of hydrophobic coating on glass surface using atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma in ambient air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Z; Qiu, Y; Kuffel, E

2004-01-01

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in material surface processing because of their convenience, effectiveness and low cost. In this paper, the treatment of a glass surface for improving hydrophobicity using a non-thermal plasma generated by a dielectric barrier corona discharge (DBCD) with a needle array-to-plane electrode arrangement in atmospheric air is conducted, and the surface properties of the glass before and after the DBCD treatment are studied using contact angle measurement, surface resistance measurement and the wet flashover voltage test. The effects of the plasma dose (the product of average discharge power and treatment time) of DBCD on the surface modification are studied, and the mechanism of interaction between the plasma and glass surface is discussed. It is found that a layer of hydrophobic coating is formed on the glass surface through DBCD treatment, and the improvement of hydrophobicity depends on the plasma dose of the DBCD. It seems that there is an optimum plasma dose for the surface treatment. The test results of thermal ageing and chemical ageing show that the hydrophobic layer has quite stable characteristics

Atmospheric pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy apparatus: Bridging the pressure gap

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velasco-Vélez, J. J., E-mail: velasco@fhi-berlin.mpg.de, E-mail: mh@fhi-berlin.mpg.de; Schlögl, R. [Department of Heterogeneous Reactions, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim an der Ruhr 45470 (Germany); Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin 14195 (Germany); Pfeifer, V.; Algara-Siller, G.; Stotz, E.; Teschner, D.; Kube, P.; Knop-Gericke, A. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin 14195 (Germany); Hävecker, M., E-mail: velasco@fhi-berlin.mpg.de, E-mail: mh@fhi-berlin.mpg.de; Skorupska, K. [Department of Heterogeneous Reactions, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Mülheim an der Ruhr 45470 (Germany); Wang, R.; Braeuninger-Weimer, P.; Hofmann, S. [Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA (United Kingdom); Centeno, A.; Zurutuza, A. [Graphenea, San Sebastian 20018 (Spain)

2016-05-15

One of the main goals in catalysis is the characterization of solid/gas interfaces in a reaction environment. The electronic structure and chemical composition of surfaces become heavily influenced by the surrounding environment. However, the lack of surface sensitive techniques that are able to monitor these modifications under high pressure conditions hinders the understanding of such processes. This limitation is known throughout the community as the “pressure gap.” We have developed a novel experimental setup that provides chemical information on a molecular level under atmospheric pressure and in presence of reactive gases and at elevated temperatures. This approach is based on separating the vacuum environment from the high-pressure environment by a silicon nitride grid—that contains an array of micrometer-sized holes—coated with a bilayer of graphene. Using this configuration, we have investigated the local electronic structure of catalysts by means of photoelectron spectroscopy and in presence of gases at 1 atm. The reaction products were monitored online by mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. The successful operation of this setup was demonstrated with three different examples: the oxidation/reduction reaction of iridium (noble metal) and copper (transition metal) nanoparticles and with the hydrogenation of propyne on Pd black catalyst (powder).

Turbulent jet diffusion flame length evolution with cross flows in a sub-pressure atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Zhang, Xiaozheng; Zhang, Xiaolei; Lu, Shouxiang; Ding, Hang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Quantifying turbulent jet diffusion flame length with cross flows. • Unique data revealed for a sub-atmospheric pressure. • Non-dimensional global correlation proposed for flame trajectory-line length. - Abstract: This paper investigates the evolution characteristics of turbulent jet diffusion flame (flame trajectory-line length, flame height in vertical jet direction) with increasing cross flows in a sub-pressure (64 kPa) atmosphere. The combined effect of cross flow and a special sub-pressure atmosphere condition is revealed, where no data is available in the literatures. Experiments are carried out with a wind tunnel built specially in Lhasa city (altitude: 3650 m; pressure: 64 kPa) and in Hefei city (altitude: 50 m; pressure: 100 kPa), using nozzles with diameter of 3 mm, 4 mm and 5 mm and propane as fuel. It is found that, as cross flow air speed increases from zero, the flame trajectory-line length firstly decreases and then becomes almost stable (for relative small nozzle, 3 mm in this study) or increases (for relative large nozzle, 4 mm and 5 mm in this study) beyond a transitional critical cross flow air speed in normal pressure, however decreases monotonically until being blown-out in the sub-pressure atmosphere. The flame height in jet direction decreases monotonically with cross air flow speed and then reaches a steady value in both pressures. For the transitional state of flame trajectory-line length with increasing cross air flow speed, the corresponding critical cross flow air speed is found to be proportional to the fuel jet velocity, meanwhile independent of nozzle diameter. Correlation models are proposed for the flame height in jet direction and the flame trajectory-line length for both ambient pressures, which are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental results.

Atmospheric-pressure-plasma-enhanced fabrication of nonfouling nanocoatings for 316 stainless steel biomaterial interfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chun; Lin, Jin-He; Li, Chi-Heng; Yu, I.-Chun; Chen, Ting-Lun

2018-03-01

Atmospheric-pressure plasma, which was generated with electrical RF power, was fed to a tetramethyldisiloxane/argon gas mixture to prepare bioinert organosilicon coatings for 316 stainless steel. The surface characteristics of atmospheric-pressure-plasma-deposited nanocoatings were evaluated as a function of RF plasma power, precursor gas flow, and plasma working distance. After surface deposition, the chemical features, elemental compositions, and surface morphologies of the organosilicon nanocoatings were examined. It was found that RF plasma power and plasma working distance are the essential factors that affect the formation of plasma-deposited nanocoatings. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra indicate that the atmospheric-pressure-plasma-deposited nanocoatings formed showed inorganic features. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed the surface roughness variation of the plasma-deposited nanocoating at different RF plasma powers and plasma working distances during surface treatment. From these surface analyses, it was found that the plasma-deposited organosilicon nanocoatings under specific operational conditions have relatively hydrophobic and inorganic characteristics, which are essential for producing an anti-biofouling interface on 316 stainless steel. The experimental results also show that atmospheric-pressure-plasma-deposited nanocoatings have potential use as a cell-resistant layer on 316 stainless steel.

Photosynthesis and growth response of almond to increased atmospheric ozone partial pressures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Retzlaff, W.A.; Williams, L.E.; DeJong, T.M.

1992-01-01

Uniform nursery stock of five almond cultivars [Prunus dulcis (Mill) D.A. Webb syn. P. amygdalus Batsch, cv. Butte, Carmel, Mission, Nonpareil, and Sonora] propagated on peach (P. domstica L. Batsch.) rootstock were exposed to three different atmospheric ozone (O 3 ) partial pressures. The trees were planted in open-top fumigation chambers on 19 Apr. 1989 at the University of California Kearny Agricultural Center located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Exposures of the trees to three atmospheric O 3 partial pressures lasted from 1 June to 2 Nov. 1989. The mean 12-h [0800-2000 h Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)] O 3 partial pressures measured in the open-top chambers during the experimental period were 0.038, 0.060, and 0.112 μPa Pa -1 O 3 in the charcoal filtered, ambient, and ambient + O 3 treatments, respectively. Leaf net CO 2 assimilation, trunk cross-sectional area growth, and root, trunk, foliage, and total dry weight of Nonpareil were reduced by increased atmospheric O 3 partial pressures. Mission was unaffected by O 3 and Butte, Carmel, and Sonora were intermediate in their responses. Foliage of Nonpareil also abscised prematurely in the ambient and ambient + O 3 treatments. The results indicate that there are almond cultivars that are sensitive to O 3 exposure

Ionization of EPA contaminants in direct and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization and atmospheric pressure laser ionization.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauppila, Tiina J; Kersten, Hendrik; Benter, Thorsten

2015-06-01

Seventy-seven EPA priority environmental pollutants were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) equipped with an optimized atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and an atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI) interface with and without dopants. The analyzed compounds included e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitro compounds, halogenated compounds, aromatic compounds with phenolic, acidic, alcohol, and amino groups, phthalate and adipatic esters, and aliphatic ethers. Toluene, anisole, chlorobenzene, and acetone were tested as dopants. The widest range of analytes was ionized using direct APPI (66/77 compounds). The introduction of dopants decreased the amount of compounds ionized in APPI (e.g., 54/77 with toluene), but in many cases the ionization efficiency increased. While in direct APPI the formation of molecular ions via photoionization was the main ionization reaction, dopant-assisted (DA) APPI promoted ionization reactions, such as charge exchange and proton transfer. Direct APLI ionized a much smaller amount of compounds than APPI (41/77 compounds), showing selectivity towards compounds with low ionization energies (IEs) and long-lived resonantly excited intermediate states. DA-APLI, however, was able to ionize a higher amount of compounds (e.g. 51/77 with toluene), as the ionization took place entirely through dopant-assisted ion/molecule reactions similar to those in DA-APPI. Best ionization efficiency in APPI and APLI (both direct and DA) was obtained for PAHs and aromatics with O- and N-functionalities, whereas nitro compounds and aliphatic ethers were the most difficult to ionize. Halogenated aromatics and esters were (mainly) ionized in APPI, but not in APLI.

A handheld low temperature atmospheric pressure air plasma gun for nanomaterial synthesis in liquid phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Shuang; Wang, Kaile; Zuo, Shasha; Liu, Jiahui [Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Zhang, Jue, E-mail: zhangjue@pku.edu.cn; Fang, Jing [Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

2015-10-15

A handheld low temperature atmospheric pressure air plasma gun based on a dielectric barrier structure with hollow electrodes was proposed. The portable plasma gun with an embedded mini air pump was driven by a 12 V direct voltage battery. The air plasma jet generated from the gun could be touched without a common shock hazard. Besides working in air, the plasma gun can also work in water. The diagnostic result of optical emission spectroscopy showed the difference in reactive species of air plasma jet between in air and in water. The plasma gun was excited in 20 ml chloroauric acid aqueous solution with a concentration of 1.214 mM. A significant amount of gold nanoparticles were synthesized after 2 min continuous discharge. The plasma gun with these unique features is applicable in plasma medicine, etching, and s-nthesis of nanomaterials.

Hazardous gas treatment using atmospheric pressure microwave discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizeraczyk, Jerzy; Jasinski, Mariusz; Zakrzewski, Zenon

2005-01-01

Atmospheric pressure microwave discharge methods and devices used for producing non-thermal plasmas for control of gaseous pollutants are described in this paper. The main part of the paper is concerned with microwave torch discharges (MTDs). Results of laboratory experiments on plasma abatement of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their mixtures with either synthetic air or nitrogen in low (∼100 W) and moderate (200-400 W) microwave torch plasmas at atmospheric pressure are presented. Three types of MTD generators, i.e. low-power coaxial-line-based MTDs, moderate-power waveguide-based coaxial-line MTDs and moderate-power waveguide-based MTDs were used. The gas flow rate and microwave (2.45 GHz) power delivered to the discharge were in the range of 1-3 litre min -1 and 100-400 W, respectively. The concentrations of the processed gaseous pollutants were from several to several tens of per cent. The results showed that the MTD plasmas fully decomposed the VOCs at a relatively low energy cost. The energy efficiency of decomposition of several gaseous pollutants reached 1000 g (kW-h) -1 . This suggests that MTD plasmas can be useful tools for decomposition of highly concentrated VOCs

Fabrication of Al doped ZnO films using atmospheric pressure cold plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzaki, Yoshifumi; Miyagawa, Hayato; Yamaguchi, Kenzo; Kim, Yoon-Kee

2012-01-01

Under atmospheric pressure, homogeneous non-equilibrium cold plasma was generated stably by high voltage pulsed power (1 kV, 20 kHz, 38 W) excitation of a mixture of He and O 2 gases produced by a dielectric barrier discharge setup. By feeding Bis (2 methoxy‐6-methyl‐3, 5-heptanedione) Zn (Zn-MOPD, C 18 H 3 O 6 Zn) and Tris (2-methoxy‐6‐methy l‐3, 5-heptanedione) Al (Al-MOPD, C 27 H 45 O 9 Al) into this plasma with He carrier gas, transparent flat Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) films about 120–240 nm thick were prepared on glass substrates directly under the slit made into the cathode. Deposition rates of the films were about 20–40 nm/min. The concentration of Al was measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The composition ratio of Al to Zn was 7.8 mol% when the carrier He gas flow rate of Al-MOPD was 30 cm 3 . The average transmittance of all films was more than 85% in the wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm. When the composition ratio of Al/Zn was between 1.1 and 7.8 mol%, the optical band gap of the film increased from 3.28 to 3.40 eV. The resistivity of ZnO:Al film was 2.96 Ω cm at 1.3 mol% of Al/Zn. In addition, the microstructure of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction measurement and field emission scanning electron microscope observation. It was revealed that doped Al is substituted onto the Zn site of the ZnO crystalline structure in ZnO:Al films. - Highlights: ► An atmospheric pressure cold plasma generator generated stable glow discharge. ► We fabricated Al doped ZnO films on glass substrates using cold plasma. ► Al concentration measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. ► The transmission spectrum and the resistivity of the films were measured. ► The microstructure of the films was studied.

Desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization high-resolution mass spectrometry: a complementary approach for the chemical analysis of atmospheric aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Parshintsev, Jevgeni; Vaikkinen, Anu; Lipponen, Katriina; Vrkoslav, Vladimir; Cvačka, Josef; Kostiainen, Risto; Kotiaho, Tapio; Hartonen, Kari; Riekkola, Marja-Liisa; Kauppila, Tiina J

2015-07-15

On-line chemical characterization methods of atmospheric aerosols are essential to increase our understanding of physicochemical processes in the atmosphere, and to study biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Several techniques, including aerosol mass spectrometry, are nowadays available, but they all suffer from some disadvantages. In this research, desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization high-resolution (Orbitrap) mass spectrometry (DAPPI-HRMS) is introduced as a complementary technique for the fast analysis of aerosol chemical composition without the need for sample preparation. Atmospheric aerosols from city air were collected on a filter, desorbed in a DAPPI source with a hot stream of toluene and nitrogen, and ionized using a vacuum ultraviolet lamp at atmospheric pressure. To study the applicability of the technique for ambient aerosol analysis, several samples were collected onto filters and analyzed, with the focus being on selected organic acids. To compare the DAPPI-HRMS data with results obtained by an established method, each filter sample was divided into two equal parts, and the second half of the filter was extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The DAPPI results agreed with the measured aerosol particle number. In addition to the targeted acids, the LC/MS and DAPPI-HRMS methods were found to detect different compounds, thus providing complementary information about the aerosol samples. DAPPI-HRMS showed several important oxidation products of terpenes, and numerous compounds were tentatively identified. Thanks to the soft ionization, high mass resolution, fast analysis, simplicity and on-line applicability, the proposed methodology has high potential in the field of atmospheric research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Design and development of a low cost, high current density power supply for streamer free atmospheric pressure DBD plasma generation in air.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Vishal; Visani, Anand; Srinivasan, R; Agarwal, Vivek

2018-03-01

This paper presents a new power supply architecture for generating a uniform dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in air medium at atmospheric pressure. It is quite a challenge to generate atmospheric pressure uniform glow discharge plasma, especially in air. This is because air plasma needs very high voltage for initiation of discharge. If the high voltage is used along with high current density, it leads to the formation of streamers, which is undesirable for most applications like textile treatment, etc. Researchers have tried to generate high-density plasma using a RF source, nanosecond pulsed DC source, and medium frequency AC source. However, these solutions suffer from low current discharge and low efficiency due to the addition of an external resistor to control the discharge current. Moreover, they are relatively costly and bulky. This paper presents a new power supply configuration which is very compact and generates high average density (∼0.28 W/cm 2 ) uniform glow DBD plasma in air at atmospheric pressure. The efficiency is also higher as no external resistor is required to control the discharge current. An inherent feature of this topology is that it can drive higher current oscillations (∼50 A peak and 2-3 MHz frequency) into the plasma that damp out due to the plasma dissipation only. A newly proposed model has been used with experimental validation in this paper. Simulations and experimental validation of the proposed topology are included. Also, the application of the generated plasma for polymer film treatment is demonstrated.

Benchtop evaluation of pressure barrier insufflator and standard insufflator systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Nepple, Kenneth G; Kallogjeri, Dorina; Bhayani, Sam B

2013-01-01

Previous experimental research has reported minimal differences in pressure maintenance between different versions of standard insufflators (SI). However, a recent report identified potential clinical benefits with a valveless pressure barrier insufflator (PBI). We sought to perform a benchtop objective evaluation of SI and PBI systems. A rigid box system with continuous pressure manometry was used to evaluate a PBI (Surgiquest Airseal) and two SIs (SI1 = Stryker PneumoSure High Flow Insufflator and SI2 = Storz SCB Thermoflator). Pressure maintenance of 15 mmHg was evaluated during experimental conditions of leakage from a 5 mm port site, leakage from a 12 mm port site, and continuous suction. With leakage from the 5 mm port site, the PBI maintained pressure of >13 mmHg whereas the pressures dropped moderately with the SI1 (7-13 mmHg) and SI2 insufflators (3-7 mmHg) and did not regain goal pressure until leakage was stopped. With leakage from 12 mm port site, the PBI pressure decreased to 9-11 mmHg, whereas the SI1 and SI2 lost insufflation pressures completely. The PBI maintained pressure of >11 mmHg during continuous suction while the SI1 and SI2 lost pressure entirely, and actually showed negative pressure from air suction into the rigid box system. When evaluated statistically with the mixed model repeated measures ANOVA, the SI1 and SI2 performed similarly while the PBI maintained increased pressure. In the experimental rigid box system, the PBI more successfully maintained pressure in response to leakage and suction than SIs.

Intracellular effects of atmospheric-pressure plasmas on melanoma cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishaq, M., E-mail: ishaqmusarat@gmail.com [Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne, VIC 3002 (Australia); Comonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Bazaka, K. [Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000 (Australia); Ostrikov, K. [Comonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4000 (Australia)

2015-12-15

Gas discharge plasmas formed at atmospheric pressure and near room temperature have recently been shown as a promising tool for cancer treatment. The mechanism of the plasma action is attributed to generation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, electric fields, charges, and photons. The relative importance of different modes of action of atmospheric-pressure plasmas depends on the process parameters and specific treatment objects. Hence, an in-depth understanding of biological mechanisms that underpin plasma-induced death in cancer cells is required to optimise plasma processing conditions. Here, the intracellular factors involved in the observed anti-cancer activity in melanoma Mel007 cells are studied, focusing on the effect of the plasma treatment dose on the expression of tumour suppressor protein TP73. Over-expression of TP73 causes cell growth arrest and/or apoptosis, and hence can potentially be targeted to enhance killing efficacy and selectivity of the plasma treatment. It is shown that the plasma treatment induces dose-dependent up-regulation of TP73 gene expression, resulting in significantly elevated levels of TP73 RNA and protein in plasma-treated melanoma cells. Silencing of TP73 expression by means of RNA interference inhibited the anticancer effects of the plasma, similar to the effect of caspase inhibitor z-VAD or ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine. These results confirm the role of TP73 protein in dose-dependent regulation of anticancer activity of atmospheric-pressure plasmas.

Use of Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet for Polymer Surface Modification: An Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuettner, Lindsey A. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-03-16

Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets (APPJs) are playing an increasingly important role in materials processing procedures. Plasma treatment is a useful tool to modify surface properties of materials, especially polymers. Plasma reacts with polymer surfaces in numerous ways thus the type of process gas and plasma conditions must be explored for chosen substrates and materials to maximize desired properties. This report discusses plasma treatments and looks further into atmospheric-pressure plasma jets and the effects of gases and plasma conditions. Following the short literature review, a general overview of the future work and research at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is discussed.

Effect of the atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasmas on the conformational changes of plasmid DNA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Xu; He Guangyuan; Shi Mengjun; Gao Xuan; Li Yin; Ma Fengyun; Yu Men; Wang Changdong; Wang Yuesheng; Yang Guangxiao; Zou Fei; Lu Xinpei; Xiong Qing; Xiong Zilan

2009-01-01

The cold atmospheric pressure plasma, which has been widely used for biomedical applications, may potentially affect the conformation of DNA. In this letter, an atmospheric pressure plasma plume is used to investigate its effects on the conformational changes of DNA of plasmid pAHC25. It is found that the plasma plume could cause plasmid DNA topology alteration, resulting in the percentage of the supercoiled plasmid DNA form decreased while that of the open circular and linearized form of plasmid DNA increased as detected by agrose gel electrophoresis. On the other hand, further investigation by using polymerase chain reaction method shows that the atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatments under proper conditions does not affect the genes of the plasmid DNA, which may have potential application in increasing the transformation frequency by genetic engineering.

Identifying barriers and facilitators to participation in pressure ulcer prevention in allied healthcare professionals: a mixed methods evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Worsley, Peter R; Clarkson, Paul; Bader, Dan L; Schoonhoven, Lisette

2017-09-01

To evaluate the barriers and facilitators for allied health professional's participation in pressure ulcer prevention. Mixed method cohort study. Single centre study in an acute university hospital trust. Five physiotherapists and four occupational therapists were recruited from the hospital trust. Therapists had been working in the National Health Service (NHS) for a minimum of one year. Therapist views and experiences were collated using an audio recorded focus group. This recording was analysed using constant comparison analysis. Secondary outcomes included assessment of attitudes and knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention using questionnaires. Key themes surrounding barriers to participation in pressure ulcer prevention included resources (staffing and equipment), education and professional boundaries. Fewer facilitators were described, with new training opportunities and communication being highlighted. Results from the questionnaires showed the therapists had a positive attitude towards pressure ulcer prevention with a median score of 81% (range 50 to 83%). However, there were gaps in knowledge with a median score of 69% (range 50 to 77%). The therapist reported several barriers to pressure ulcer prevention and few facilitators. The primary barriers were resources, equipment and education. Attitudes and knowledge in AHPs were comparable to data previously reported from experienced nursing staff. Copyright © 2016 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atmospheric pressure MALDI for the noninvasive characterization of carbonaceous ink from Renaissance documents.

Science.gov (United States)

Grasso, Giuseppe; Calcagno, Marzia; Rapisarda, Alessandro; D'Agata, Roberta; Spoto, Giuseppe

2017-06-01

The analytical methods that are usually applied to determine the compositions of inks from ancient manuscripts usually focus on inorganic components, as in the case of iron gall ink. In this work, we describe the use of atmospheric pressure/matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (AP/MALDI-MS) as a spatially resolved analytical technique for the study of the organic carbonaceous components of inks used in handwritten parts of ancient books for the first time. Large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (L-PAH) were identified in situ in the ink of XVII century handwritten documents. We prove that it is possible to apply MALDI-MS as a suitable microdestructive diagnostic tool for analyzing samples in air at atmospheric pressure, thus simplifying investigations of the organic components of artistic and archaeological objects. The interpretation of the experimental MS results was supported by independent Raman spectroscopic investigations. Graphical abstract Atmospheric pressure/MALDI mass spectrometry detects in situ polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the carbonaceous ink of XVII century manuscripts.

Atmospheric pressure and temperature profiling using near IR differential absorption lidar

Science.gov (United States)

Korb, C. L.; Schwemmer, G. K.; Dombrowski, M.; Weng, C. Y.

1983-01-01

The present investigation is concerned with differential absorption lidar techniques for remotely measuring the atmospheric temperature and pressure profile, surface pressure, and cloud top pressure-height. The procedure used in determining the pressure is based on the conduction of high-resolution measurements of absorption in the wings of lines in the oxygen A band. Absorption with respect to these areas is highly pressure sensitive in connection with the mechanism of collisional line broadening. The method of temperature measurement utilizes a determination of the absorption at the center of a selected line in the oxygen A band which originates from a quantum state with high ground state energy.

Weather forecasting by insects: modified sexual behaviour in response to atmospheric pressure changes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pellegrino, Ana Cristina; Peñaflor, Maria Fernanda Gomes Villalba; Nardi, Cristiane; Bezner-Kerr, Wayne; Guglielmo, Christopher G; Bento, José Maurício Simões; McNeil, Jeremy N

2013-01-01

Prevailing abiotic conditions may positively or negatively impact insects at both the individual and population levels. For example while moderate rainfall and wind velocity may provide conditions that favour development, as well as movement within and between habitats, high winds and heavy rains can significantly decrease life expectancy. There is some evidence that insects adjust their behaviours associated with flight, mating and foraging in response to changes in barometric pressure. We studied changes in different mating behaviours of three taxonomically unrelated insects, the curcurbit beetle, Diabrotica speciosa (Coleoptera), the true armyworm moth, Pseudaletia unipuncta (Lepidoptera) and the potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Hemiptera), when subjected to natural or experimentally manipulated changes in atmospheric pressure. In response to decreasing barometric pressure, male beetles exhibited decreased locomotory activity in a Y-tube olfactometer with female pheromone extracts. However, when placed in close proximity to females, they exhibited reduced courtship sequences and the precopulatory period. Under the same situations, females of the true armyworm and the potato aphid exhibited significantly reduced calling behaviour. Neither the movement of male beetles nor the calling of armyworm females differed between stable and increasing atmospheric pressure conditions. However, in the case of the armyworm there was a significant decrease in the incidence of mating under rising atmospheric conditions, suggesting an effect on male behaviour. When atmospheric pressure rose, very few M. euphorbiae oviparae called. This was similar to the situation observed under decreasing conditions, and consequently very little mating was observed in this species except under stable conditions. All species exhibited behavioural modifications, but there were interspecific differences related to size-related flight ability and the diel periodicity of mating activity. We

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of ready-to-eat meat

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Röd, Sara Katrine Solhøj; Hansen, Flemming; Leipold, Frank

Sliced ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products are susceptible to growth of the foodborne pathogenic bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) may be applicable for surface decontamination in sealed bags thus avoiding recontamination. Plasmas (Fig. 1), created in neutral...

Low-temperature plasma-catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde in atmospheric pressure gas streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding Huixian; Zhu Aimin; Lu Fugong; Xu Yong; Zhang Jing; Yang Xuefeng

2006-01-01

Formaldehyde (HCHO) is a typical air pollutant capable of causing serious health disorders in human beings. This work reports plasma-catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde in gas streams via dielectric barrier discharges over Ag/CeO 2 pellets at atmospheric pressure and 70 0 C. With a feed gas mixture of 276 ppm HCHO, 21.0% O 2 , 1.0% H 2 O in N 2 , ∼99% of formaldehyde can be effectively destructed with an 86% oxidative conversion into CO 2 at GHSV of 16500 h -1 and input discharge energy density of 108 J l -1 . At the same experimental conditions, the conversion percentages of HCHO to CO 2 from pure plasma-induced oxidation (discharges over fused silica pellets) and from pure catalytic oxidation over Ag/CeO 2 (without discharges) are 6% and 33% only. The above results and the CO plasma-catalytic oxidation experiments imply that the plasma-generated short-lived gas phase radicals, such as O and HO 2 , play important roles in the catalytic redox circles of Ag/CeO 2 to oxidize HCHO and CO to CO 2

Meteorology in ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: an institutional study and a meta-analysis of published studies reporting atmospheric pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Takagi, H; Watanabe, T; Mizuno, Y; Kawai, N; Umemoto, T

2014-12-01

The aim of this paper was to determine whether weather factors including atmospheric pressure are associated with the occurrence of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). We investigated our institutional experiences of RAAA in more than 150 patients during 8 years. Further, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies reporting the influence of atmospheric pressure on RAAA. We retrospectively evaluated 152 patients who underwent surgery for RAAA (including ruptured iliac arterial aneurysm) at our institute between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2013. Daily regional meteorological data (in the nearest weather station located 3.5 km from the hospital) were obtained online from Japan Meteorological Agency. To identify comparative studies of mean atmospheric pressure on the day with RAAA versus that on the day without RAAA, MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through January 2014 using Web-based search engines (PubMed and OVID). Mean sea level atmospheric pressure, delta mean atmospheric pressure (difference between mean sea level atmospheric pressure on the day and that on the previous day), and sunshine duration on the day with RAAA were significantly lower than those on the day without RAAA: 1012.43±7.44 versus 1013.71±6.49 hPa, P=0.039, -1.18±5.15 versus 0.05±5.62 hPa, P=0.005; and 4.76±3.76 versus 5.47±3.88 h, P=0.026; respectively. A pooled analysis of 8 studies (including our institutional study) demonstrated that mean atmospheric pressure on the day with RAAA was significantly lower than that on the day without RAAA: standardized mean difference, -0.09; 95% confidence interval, -0.14 to -0.04; P=0.0009. Atmospheric pressure on the day with RAAA appears lower than that on the day without RAAA. Atmospheric pressure may be associated with the occurrence of RAAA.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets: an overview of devices and new directions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winter, J; Brandenburg, R; Weltmann, K-D

2015-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets have a long history of more than 50 years. During this time their design and plasma generation mechanism has been developed and adapted to various fields of applications. This review aims at giving an overview of jet devices by starting with a brief history of their development. This is followed by an overview of commonly used terms and definitions as well as a survey of different classification schemes (e.g. geometry, excition frequency or specific energy input) described in literature. A selective update of new designs and novel research achievments on atmospheric pressure plasma jets published in 2012 or later shows the impressive variety and rapid development of the field. Finally, a brief outlook on the future trends and directions is given. (paper)

An Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Setup to Investigate the Reactive Species Formation

OpenAIRE

Gorbanev, Yury; Soriano, Robert; O'Connell, Deborah; Chechik, Victor

2016-01-01

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure ('cold') plasmas have received increased attention in recent years due to their significant biomedical potential. The reactions of cold plasma with the surrounding atmosphere yield a variety of reactive species, which can define its effectiveness. While efficient development of cold plasma therapy requires kinetic models, model benchmarking needs empirical data. Experimental studies of the source of reactive species detected in aqueous solutions exposed to pla...

Disinfection effect of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma for foodborne bacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Pervez, Mohammad Rasel; Inomata, Takanori; Ishijima, Tatsuo; Kakikawa, Makiko; Uesugi, Yoshihiko; Tanaka, Yasunori; Yano, Toshihiro; Miwa, Shoji; Noguchi, Akinori

2015-09-01

Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (NAPP) exposure can be a suitable alternative for bacteria inactivation in food processing industry. Specimen placed in the enclosure are exposed to various reactive radicals produced within the discharge chamber. It is also exposed to the periodic variation of the electric field strength in the chamber. Dielectric barrier discharge is produced by high voltage pulse (Vpp = 18 kV, pulse width 20 μs, repetition frequency 10 kHz) in a polypropylene box (volume = 350 cm3) using helium as main feed gas. Inactivation efficiency of NAPP depends on the duration of NAPP exposure, applied voltage pulse strength and type, pulse duration, electrode separation and feed gas composition. In this study we have investigated inactivation of Bacillus lichenformis spore as an example of food borne bacteria. Keeping applied voltage, electrode configuration and total gas flow rate constant, spores are exposed to direct NAPP for different time duration while O2 concentration in the feed gas composition is varied. 10 minutes NAPP exposure resulted in ~ 3 log reduction of Bacillus lichenformis spores for 1% O2concentration (initial concentration ~ 106 / specimen). This work is supported by research and development promotion grant provided by the Hokuriku Industrial Advancement Center.

Photosynthesis and growth response of almond to increased atmospheric ozone partial pressures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Retzlaff, W.A.; Williams, L.E. (Univ. of California, Davis (United States) Kearney Agricultural Center, Parlier, CA (United States)); DeJong, T.M. (Univ. of California, Davis (United States))

Uniform nursery stock of five almond cultivars [Prunus dulcis (Mill) D.A. Webb syn. P. amygdalus Batsch, cv. Butte, Carmel, Mission, Nonpareil, and Sonora] propagated on peach (P. domstica L. Batsch.) rootstock were exposed to three different atmospheric ozone (O[sub 3]) partial pressures. The trees were planted in open-top fumigation chambers on 19 Apr. 1989 at the University of California Kearny Agricultural Center located in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Exposures of the trees to three atmospheric O[sub 3] partial pressures lasted from 1 June to 2 Nov. 1989. The mean 12-h [0800-2000 h Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)] O[sub 3] partial pressures measured in the open-top chambers during the experimental period were 0.038, 0.060, and 0.112 [mu]Pa Pa[sup [minus]1] O[sub 3] in the charcoal filtered, ambient, and ambient + O[sub 3] treatments, respectively. Leaf net CO[sub 2] assimilation, trunk cross-sectional area growth, and root, trunk, foliage, and total dry weight of Nonpareil were reduced by increased atmospheric O[sub 3] partial pressures. Mission was unaffected by O[sub 3] and Butte, Carmel, and Sonora were intermediate in their responses. Foliage of Nonpareil also abscised prematurely in the ambient and ambient + O[sub 3] treatments. The results indicate that there are almond cultivars that are sensitive to O[sub 3] exposure.

Optical Emission Spectroscopy of an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet During Tooth Bleaching Gel Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Šantak, Vedran; Zaplotnik, Rok; Tarle, Zrinka; Milošević, Slobodan

2015-11-01

Optical emission spectroscopy was performed during atmospheric pressure plasma needle helium jet treatment of various tooth-bleaching gels. When the gel sample was inserted under the plasma plume, the intensity of all the spectral features increased approximately two times near the plasma needle tip and up to two orders of magnitude near the sample surface. The color change of the hydroxylapatite pastille treated with bleaching gels in conjunction with the atmospheric pressure plasma jet was found to be in correlation with the intensity of OH emission band (309 nm). Using argon as an additive to helium flow (2 L/min), a linear increase (up to four times) of OH intensity and, consequently, whitening (up to 10%) of the pastilles was achieved. An atmospheric pressure plasma jet activates bleaching gel, accelerates OH production, and accelerates tooth bleaching (up to six times faster).

Atmospheric pressure helium afterglow discharge detector for gas chromatography

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Gary; D'Silva, Arthur P.; Fassel, Velmer A.

1986-05-06

An apparatus for providing a simple, low-frequency electrodeless discharge system for atmospheric pressure afterglow generation. A single quartz tube through which a gas mixture is passed is extended beyond a concentric electrode positioned thereabout. A grounding rod is placed directly above the tube outlet to permit optical viewing of the discharge between the electrodes.

The influence of atmospheric pressure on aortic aneurysm rupture--is the diameter of the aneurysm important?

Science.gov (United States)

Urbanek, Tomasz; Juśko, Maciej; Niewiem, Alfred; Kuczmik, Wacław; Ziaja, Damian; Ziaja, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

The rate of aortic aneurysm rupture correlates with the aneurysm's diameter, and a higher rate of rupture is observed in patients with larger aneurysms. According to the literature, contradictory results concerning the relationship between atmospheric pressure and aneurysm size have been reported. In this paper, we assessed the influence of changes in atmospheric pressure on abdominal aneurysm ruptures in relationship to the aneurysm's size. The records of 223 patients with ruptured abdominal aneurysms were evaluated. All of the patients had been admitted to the department in the period 1997-2007 from the Silesia region. The atmospheric pressures on the day of the rupture and on the days both before the rupture and between the rupture events were compared. The size of the aneurysm was also considered in the analysis. There were no statistically significant differences in pressure between the days of rupture and the remainder of the days within an analysed period. The highest frequency of the admission of patients with a ruptured aortic aneurysm was observed during periods of winter and spring, when the highest mean values of atmospheric pressure were observed; however, this observation was not statistically confirmed. A statistically non-significant trend towards the higher rupture of large aneurysms (> 7 cm) was observed in the cases where the pressure increased between the day before the rupture and the day of the rupture. This trend was particularly pronounced in patients suffering from hypertension (p = 0.1). The results of this study do not support the hypothesis that there is a direct link between atmospheric pressure values and abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures.

Atmospheric pressure loading effects on Global Positioning System coordinate determinations

Science.gov (United States)

Vandam, Tonie M.; Blewitt, Geoffrey; Heflin, Michael B.

1994-01-01

Earth deformation signals caused by atmospheric pressure loading are detected in vertical position estimates at Global Positioning System (GPS) stations. Surface displacements due to changes in atmospheric pressure account for up to 24% of the total variance in the GPS height estimates. The detected loading signals are larger at higher latitudes where pressure variations are greatest; the largest effect is observed at Fairbanks, Alaska (latitude 65 deg), with a signal root mean square (RMS) of 5 mm. Out of 19 continuously operating GPS sites (with a mean of 281 daily solutions per site), 18 show a positive correlation between the GPS vertical estimates and the modeled loading displacements. Accounting for loading reduces the variance of the vertical station positions on 12 of the 19 sites investigated. Removing the modeled pressure loading from GPS determinations of baseline length for baselines longer than 6000 km reduces the variance on 73 of the 117 baselines investigated. The slight increase in variance for some of the sites and baselines is consistent with expected statistical fluctuations. The results from most stations are consistent with approximately 65% of the modeled pressure load being found in the GPS vertical position measurements. Removing an annual signal from both the measured heights and the modeled load time series leaves this value unchanged. The source of the remaining discrepancy between the modeled and observed loading signal may be the result of (1) anisotropic effects in the Earth's loading response, (2) errors in GPS estimates of tropospheric delay, (3) errors in the surface pressure data, or (4) annual signals in the time series of loading and station heights. In addition, we find that using site dependent coefficients, determined by fitting local pressure to the modeled radial displacements, reduces the variance of the measured station heights as well as or better than using the global convolution sum.

Altered blood-brain barrier permeability in rats with prehepatic portal hypertension turns to normal when portal pressure is lowered

Science.gov (United States)

Eizayaga, Francisco; Scorticati, Camila; Prestifilippo, Juan P; Romay, Salvador; Fernandez, Maria A; Castro, José L; Lemberg, Abraham; Perazzo, Juan C

2006-01-01

AIM: To study the blood-brain barrier integrity in prehepatic portal hypertensive rats induced by partial portal vein ligation, at 14 and 40 d after ligation when portal pressure is spontaneously normalized. METHODS: Adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Group I: Sham14d , sham operated; Group II: PH14d , portal vein stenosis; (both groups were used 14 days after surgery); Group III: Sham40d, Sham operated and Group IV: PH40d Portal vein stenosis (Groups II and IV used 40 d after surgery). Plasma ammonia, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid protein and liver enzymes concentrations were determined. Trypan and Evans blue dyes, systemically injected, were investigated in hippocampus to study blood-brain barrier integrity. Portal pressure was periodically recorded. RESULTS: Forty days after stricture, portal pressure was normalized, plasma ammonia was moderately high, and both dyes were absent in central nervous system parenchyma. All other parameters were reestablished. When portal pressure was normalized and ammonia level was lowered, but not normal, the altered integrity of blood-brain barrier becomes reestablished. CONCLUSION: The impairment of blood-brain barrier and subsequent normalization could be a mechanism involved in hepatic encephalopathy reversibility. Hemodynamic changes and ammonia could trigger blood-brain barrier alterations and its reestablishment. PMID:16552803

Einstein's Tea Leaves and Pressure Systems in the Atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Tandon, Amit; Marshall, John

2010-01-01

Tea leaves gather in the center of the cup when the tea is stirred. In 1926 Einstein explained the phenomenon in terms of a secondary, rim-to-center circulation caused by the fluid rubbing against the bottom of the cup. This explanation can be connected to air movement in atmospheric pressure systems to explore, for example, why low-pressure…

Temperature diagnostics of a non-thermal plasma jet at atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Schäfer, Jan

2013-09-01

The study reflects the concept of the temperature as a physical quantity resulting from the second thermodynamic law. The reliability of different approaches of the temperature diagnostics of open non-equilibrium systems is discussed using examples of low temperature atmospheric pressure discharges. The focus of this work is a miniaturized non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet for local surface treatment at ambient atmosphere. The micro-discharge is driven with a capacitively coupled radio frequency electric field at 27.12 MHz and fed with argon at rates of about 1 slm through the capillary with an inner diameter of 4 mm. The discharge consists of several contracted filaments with diameter around 300 μm which are rotating azimuthally in the capillary in a self-organized manner. While the measured temperatures of the filament core exceed 700 K, the heat impact on a target below the plasma jet remains limited leading to target temperatures below 400 K. Different kinds of temperatures and energy transport processes are proposed and experimentally investigated. Nevertheless, a reliable and detailed temperature diagnostics is a challenge. We report on a novel diagnostics approach for the spatially and temporally resolved measurement of the gas temperature based on the optical properties of the plasma. Laser Schlieren Deflectometry is adapted to explore temperature profiles of filaments and their behaviour. In parallel, the method demonstrates a fundamental Fermat's principle of minimal energy. Information acquired with this method plays an important role for the optimization of local thin film deposition and surface functionalization by means of the atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The work was supported in part by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft within SFB-TR 24.

Physico-chemical characteristics of high performance polymer modified by low and atmospheric pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, Nitu; Sangeeta, Jha; Bhowmik, Shantanu; Gupta, Govind; Moon, J.B.; Kim, C.G.

2012-01-01

In this work, the effect of low pressure plasma and atmospheric p ressure plasma treatment on surface properties and adhesion characteristics of high performance polymer, Polyether Ether Ketone (PEEK) are investigated in terms of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The experimental results show that the PEEK surface treated by atmospheric pressure plasma lead to an increase in the polar component of the surface energy, resulting in improving the adhesion characteristics of the PEEK/Epoxy adhesive system. Also, the roughness of the treated surfaces is largely increased as confirmed by AFM observation. These results can be explained by the fact that the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment of PEEK surface yields several oxygen functionalities on hydrophobic surface, which play an important role in increasing the surface polarity, wettability, and the adhesion characteristics of the PEEK/Epoxy adhesive system. (authors)

Filamentary and diffuse barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kogelschatz, U.

2001-01-01

Barrier discharges, sometimes also referred to as dielectric-barrier discharges or silent discharges, are characterized by the presence of at least one insulating layer in contact with the discharge between two planar or cylindrical electrodes connected to an ac power supply. The main advantage of this type of electrical discharge is, that non-equilibrium plasma conditions in atmospheric-pressure gases can be established in an economic and reliable way. This has led to a number of important applications including industrial ozone generation, surface modification of polymers, plasma chemical vapor deposition, excitation of CO 2 lasers, excimer lamps and, most recently, large-area flat plasma display panels. Depending on the application, the width of the discharge gap can range from less than 0.1 mm to about 100 mm and the applied frequency from below line frequency to several gigahertz. Typical materials used for the insulating layer (dielectric barrier) are glass, quartz, ceramics but also thin enamel or polymer layers

Propagation of atmospheric-pressure ionization waves along the tapered tube

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Yang; Wang, Wenchun; Liu, Dongping; Yan, Wen; Bi, Zhenhua; Ji, Longfei; Niu, Jinhai; Zhao, Yao

2018-02-01

Gas discharge in a small radius dielectric tube may result in atmospheric pressure plasma jets with high energy and density of electrons. In this study, the atmospheric pressure ionization waves (IWs) were generated inside a tapered tube. The propagation behaviors of IWs inside the tube were studied by using a spatially and temporally resolved optical detection system. Our measurements show that both the intensity and velocity of the IWs decrease dramatically when they propagate to the tapered region. After the taper, the velocity, intensity, and electron density of the IWs are improved with the tube inner diameter decreasing from 4.0 to 0.5 mm. Our analysis indicates that the local gas conductivity and surface charges may play a role in the propagation of the IWs under such a geometrical constraint, and the difference in the dynamics of the IWs after the taper can be related to the restriction in the size of IWs.

Atmospheric pressure photo ionization hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry--a method to differentiate isomers by mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Arif; Kim, Sunghwan

2013-12-01

In this report, a method for in-source hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange at atmospheric pressure is reported. The method was named atmospheric pressure photo ionization hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (APPI HDX MS). H/D exchange was performed by mixing samples dissolved in toluene with CH3OD solvent and analyzing the mixture using atmospheric pressure photo ionization mass spectrometry (APPI-MS). The APPI HDX spectra obtained with contact times between the analyte solution and methanol-OD (CH3OD) of atmospheric pressure. H/D exchange can be performed in any laboratory with a mass spectrometer and a commercial APPI source. Using this method, multiple H/D exchanges of aromatic hydrogen and/or H/D exchange of active hydrogen were observed. These results demonstrated that H/D exchange can be used to distinguish between isomers containing primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, as well as pyridine and pyrrole functional groups.

Effects of initiating anaerobic digestion of layer-hen poultry dung at sub-atmospheric pressure

OpenAIRE

Ngumah, Chima C.; Ogbulie, Jude N.; Orji, Justina C.; Amadi, Ekperechi S.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the effects of initiating anaerobic digestion (AD) of dry layer-hen poultry dung at the sub-atmospheric pressure of -30 cmHg on biodegradation, biogasification, and biomethanation. The setup was performed as a batch process at an average ambient temperature of 29±2 ºC and a retention time of 15 days. Comparisons were made with two other experiments which were both begun at ambient atmospheric pressure; one was inoculated with digestate from a previous layer-hen dung AD...

Electron density measurement of non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma using dispersion interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshimura, Shinji; Kasahara, Hiroshi; Akiyama, Tsuyoshi

2017-10-01

Medical applications of non-equilibrium atmospheric plasmas have recently been attracting a great deal of attention, where many types of plasma sources have been developed to meet the purposes. For example, plasma-activated medium (PAM), which is now being studied for cancer treatment, has been produced by irradiating non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma with ultrahigh electron density to a culture medium. Meanwhile, in order to measure electron density in magnetic confinement plasmas, a CO2 laser dispersion interferometer has been developed and installed on the Large Helical Device (LHD) at the National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan. The dispersion interferometer has advantages that the measurement is insensitive to mechanical vibrations and changes in neutral gas density. Taking advantage of these properties, we applied the dispersion interferometer to electron density diagnostics of atmospheric pressure plasmas produced by the NU-Global HUMAP-WSAP-50 device, which is used for producing PAM. This study was supported by the Grant of Joint Research by the National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS).

Comparison of the sensitivity of mass spectrometry atmospheric pressure ionization techniques in the analysis of porphyrinoids.

Science.gov (United States)

Swider, Paweł; Lewtak, Jan P; Gryko, Daniel T; Danikiewicz, Witold

2013-10-01

The porphyrinoids chemistry is greatly dependent on the data obtained in mass spectrometry. For this reason, it is essential to determine the range of applicability of mass spectrometry ionization methods. In this study, the sensitivity of three different atmospheric pressure ionization techniques, electrospray ionization, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization and atmospheric pressure photoionization, was tested for several porphyrinods and their metallocomplexes. Electrospray ionization method was shown to be the best ionization technique because of its high sensitivity for derivatives of cyanocobalamin, free-base corroles and porphyrins. In the case of metallocorroles and metalloporphyrins, atmospheric pressure photoionization with dopant proved to be the most sensitive ionization method. It was also shown that for relatively acidic compounds, particularly for corroles, the negative ion mode provides better sensitivity than the positive ion mode. The results supply a lot of relevant information on the methodology of porphyrinoids analysis carried out by mass spectrometry. The information can be useful in designing future MS or liquid chromatography-MS experiments. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Propagation of atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet into ambient air at laminar gas flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinchuk, M; Kurakina, N; Spodobin, V; Stepanova, O

2017-01-01

The formation of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in a gas flow passing through the discharge gap depends on both gas-dynamic properties and electrophysical parameters of the plasma jet generator. The paper presents the results of experimental and numerical study of the propagation of the APPJ in a laminar flow of helium. A dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) generated inside a quartz tube equipped with a coaxial electrode system, which provided gas passing through it, served as a plasma source. The transition of the laminar regime of gas flow into turbulent one was controlled by the photography of a formed plasma jet. The corresponding gas outlet velocity and Reynolds numbers were revealed experimentally and were used to simulate gas dynamics with OpenFOAM software. The data of the numerical simulation suggest that the length of plasma jet at the unvarying electrophysical parameters of DBD strongly depends on the mole fraction of ambient air in a helium flow, which is established along the direction of gas flow. (paper)

Perspective: The physics, diagnostics, and applications of atmospheric pressure low temperature plasma sources used in plasma medicine

Science.gov (United States)

Laroussi, M.; Lu, X.; Keidar, M.

2017-07-01

Low temperature plasmas have been used in various plasma processing applications for several decades. But it is only in the last thirty years or so that sources generating such plasmas at atmospheric pressure in reliable and stable ways have become more prevalent. First, in the late 1980s, the dielectric barrier discharge was used to generate relatively large volume diffuse plasmas at atmospheric pressure. Then, in the early 2000s, plasma jets that can launch cold plasma plumes in ambient air were developed. Extensive experimental and modeling work was carried out on both methods and much of the physics governing such sources was elucidated. Starting in the mid-1990s, low temperature plasma discharges have been used as sources of chemically reactive species that can be transported to interact with biological media, cells, and tissues and induce impactful biological effects. However, many of the biochemical pathways whereby plasma affects cells remain not well understood. This situation is changing rather quickly because the field, known today as "plasma medicine," has experienced exponential growth in the last few years thanks to a global research community that engaged in fundamental and applied research involving the use of cold plasma for the inactivation of bacteria, dental applications, wound healing, and the destruction of cancer cells/tumors. In this perspective, the authors first review the physics as well as the diagnostics of the principal plasma sources used in plasma medicine. Then, brief descriptions of their biomedical applications are presented. To conclude, the authors' personal assessment of the present status and future outlook of the field is given.

DNA damage in oral cancer and normal cells induced by nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jets

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Xu; Kapaldo, James; Liu, Yueying; Stack, M. Sharon; Ptasinska, Sylwia

2015-09-01

Nitrogen atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) have been shown to effectively induce DNA double strand breaks in SCC25 oral cancer cells. The APPJ source constructed in our laboratory operates based on dielectric barrier discharge. It consists of two copper electrodes alternatively wrapping around a fused silica tube with nitrogen as a feed gas. It is generally more challenging to ignite plasma in N2 atmosphere than in noble gases. However, N2 provides additional advantages such as lower costs compared to noble gases, thus this design can be beneficial for the future long-term clinical use. To compare the effects of plasma on cancer cells (SCC25) and normal cells (OKF), the cells from both types were treated at the same experimental condition for various treatment times. The effective area with different damage levels after the treatment was visualized as 3D maps. The delayed damage effects were also explored by varying the incubation times after the treatment. All of these studies are critical for a better understanding of the damage responses of cellular systems exposed to the plasma radiation, thus are useful for the development of the advanced plasma cancer therapy. The research described herein was supported by the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, United States Department of Energy through Grant No. DE-FC02-04ER15533.

Atmospheric Pressure Effect of Retained Gas in High Level Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, A.H.

1999-01-01

Isolated high level waste tanks in H-Area have unexplained changes in waste-level which have been attributed to environmental effects including pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. Previous studies at SRS have considered waste-level changes from causes not including the presence of gas in the salt cake. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of atmospheric pressure on gas in the salt cake and resultant changes in the supernate level of Tank 41H, and to model that effect if possible. A simple theory has been developed to account for changes in the supernate level in a high level waste tank containing damp salt cake as the response of trapped gases to changes in the ambient pressure. The gas is modeled as an ideal gas retained as bubbles within the interstitial spaces in the salt cake and distributed uniformly throughout the tank. The model does not account for consistent long term increases or decreases in the tank level. Any such trend in the tank level is attributed to changes in the liquid content in the tank (from condensation, evaporation, etc.) and is removed from the data prior to the void estimation. Short term fluctuations in the tank level are explained as the response of the entrained gas volume to changes in the ambient pressure. The model uses the response of the tank level to pressure changes to estimate an average void fraction for the time period of interest. This estimate of the void is then used to predict the expected level response. The theory was applied to three separate time periods of the level data for tank 41H as follows: (1) May 3, 1993 through August 3, 1993, (2) January 23, 1994 through April 21, 1994, and (3) June 4, 1994 through August 24, 1994. A strong correlation was found between fluctuations in the tank level and variations in the ambient pressure. This correlation is a clear marker of the presence of entrained gases in the tank. From model calculations, an average void fraction of 11 percent was estimated to

Forced wave induced by an atmospheric pressure disturbance moving towards shore

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yixiang; Niu, Xiaojing

2018-05-01

Atmospheric pressure disturbances moving over a vast expanse of water can induce different wave patterns, which can be determined by the Froude number Fr. Generally, Fr = 1 is a critical value for the transformation of the wave pattern and the well-known Proudman resonance happens when Fr = 1. In this study, the forced wave induced by an atmospheric pressure disturbance moving over a constant slope from deep sea to shore is numerically investigated. The wave pattern evolves from a concentric-circle type into a triangular type with the increase of the Froude number, as the local water depth decreases, which is in accord with the analysis in the unbounded flat-bottom cases. However, a hysteresis effect has been observed, which implies the obvious amplification of the forced wave induced by a pressure disturbance can not be simply predicted by Fr = 1. The effects of the characteristic parameters of pressure disturbances and slope gradient have been discussed. The results show that it is not always possible to observe significant peak of the maximum water elevation before the landing of pressure disturbances, and a significant peak can be generated by a pressure disturbance with small spatial scale and fast moving velocity over a milder slope. Besides, an extremely high run-up occurs when the forced wave hits the shore, which is an essential threat to coastal security. The results also show that the maximum run-up is not monotonously varying with the increase of disturbance moving speed and spatial scale. There exists a most dangerous speed and scale which may cause disastrous nearshore surge.

Barriers and facilitators to preventing pressure ulcers in nursing home residents: A qualitative analysis informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavallée, Jacqueline F; Gray, Trish A; Dumville, Jo; Cullum, Nicky

2018-06-01

Pressure ulcers are areas of localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue; and can cause pain, immobility, and delay recovery, impacting on health-related quality of life. The individuals who are most at risk of developing a pressure ulcer are those who are seriously ill, elderly, have impaired mobility and/or poor nutrition; thus, many nursing home residents are at risk. To understand the context of pressure ulcer prevention in nursing homes and to explore the potential barriers and facilitators to evidence-informed practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nursing home nurses, healthcare assistants and managers, National Health Service community-based wound specialist nurses (known in the UK as tissue viability nurses) and a nurse manager in the North West of England. The interview guide was developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework to explore the barriers and facilitators to pressure ulcer prevention in nursing home residents. Data were analysed using a framework analysis and domains were identified as salient based on their frequency and the potential strength of their impact. 25 participants (nursing home: 2 managers, 7 healthcare assistants, 11 qualified nurses; National Health Service community services: 4 tissue viability nurses, 1 manager) were interviewed. Depending upon the behaviours reported and the context, the same domain could be classified as both a barrier and a facilitator. We identified seven domains as relevant in the prevention of pressure ulcers in nursing home residents mapping to four "barrier" domains and six "facilitator" domains. The four "barrier" domains were knowledge, physical skills, social influences and environmental context and resources and the six "facilitator" domains were interpersonal skills, environmental context and resources, social influences, beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences and social/professional role and identity). Knowledge and insight into these barriers and

Mycotoxin Decontamination of Food: Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma versus "Classic" Decontamination.

Science.gov (United States)

Hojnik, Nataša; Cvelbar, Uroš; Tavčar-Kalcher, Gabrijela; Walsh, James L; Križaj, Igor

2017-04-28

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by several filamentous fungi, which frequently contaminate our food, and can result in human diseases affecting vital systems such as the nervous and immune systems. They can also trigger various forms of cancer. Intensive food production is contributing to incorrect handling, transport and storage of the food, resulting in increased levels of mycotoxin contamination. Mycotoxins are structurally very diverse molecules necessitating versatile food decontamination approaches, which are grouped into physical, chemical and biological techniques. In this review, a new and promising approach involving the use of cold atmospheric pressure plasma is considered, which may overcome multiple weaknesses associated with the classical methods. In addition to its mycotoxin destruction efficiency, cold atmospheric pressure plasma is cost effective, ecologically neutral and has a negligible effect on the quality of food products following treatment in comparison to classical methods.

LIF diagnostics of hydroxyl radical in atmospheric pressure He-H2O dielectric barrier discharges

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dilecce, G.; Ambrico, P. F.; Šimek, Milan; De Benedictis, S.

2012-01-01

Roč. 398, č. 4 (2012), s. 142-147 ISSN 0301-0104 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20430508 Keywords : Spectroscopic Techniques * Plasma Diagnostics * LIF * OH * Dielectric Barrier Discharge Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 1.957, year: 2012

A dc non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma microjet

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, WeiDong; Lopez, Jose L.

2012-06-01

A direct current (dc), non-thermal, atmospheric-pressure plasma microjet is generated with helium/oxygen gas mixture as working gas. The electrical property is characterized as a function of the oxygen concentration and show distinctive regions of operation. Side-on images of the jet were taken to analyze the mode of operation as well as the jet length. A self-pulsed mode is observed before the transition of the discharge to normal glow mode. Optical emission spectroscopy is employed from both end-on and side-on along the jet to analyze the reactive species generated in the plasma. Line emissions from atomic oxygen (at 777.4 nm) and helium (at 706.5 nm) were studied with respect to the oxygen volume percentage in the working gas, flow rate and discharge current. Optical emission intensities of Cu and OH are found to depend heavily on the oxygen concentration in the working gas. Ozone concentration measured in a semi-confined zone in front of the plasma jet is found to be from tens to ˜120 ppm. The results presented here demonstrate potential pathways for the adjustment and tuning of various plasma parameters such as reactive species selectivity and quantities or even ultraviolet emission intensities manipulation in an atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasma source. The possibilities of fine tuning these plasma species allows for enhanced applications in health and medical related areas.

A dc non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma microjet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Weidong; Lopez, Jose L

2012-01-01

A direct current (dc), non-thermal, atmospheric-pressure plasma microjet is generated with helium/oxygen gas mixture as working gas. The electrical property is characterized as a function of the oxygen concentration and show distinctive regions of operation. Side-on images of the jet were taken to analyze the mode of operation as well as the jet length. A self-pulsed mode is observed before the transition of the discharge to normal glow mode. Optical emission spectroscopy is employed from both end-on and side-on along the jet to analyze the reactive species generated in the plasma. Line emissions from atomic oxygen (at 777.4 nm) and helium (at 706.5 nm) were studied with respect to the oxygen volume percentage in the working gas, flow rate and discharge current. Optical emission intensities of Cu and OH are found to depend heavily on the oxygen concentration in the working gas. Ozone concentration measured in a semi-confined zone in front of the plasma jet is found to be from tens to ∼120 ppm. The results presented here demonstrate potential pathways for the adjustment and tuning of various plasma parameters such as reactive species selectivity and quantities or even ultraviolet emission intensities manipulation in an atmospheric-pressure non-thermal plasma source. The possibilities of fine tuning these plasma species allows for enhanced applications in health and medical related areas. (paper)

Contrasting characteristics of sub-microsecond pulsed atmospheric air and atmospheric pressure helium-oxygen glow discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walsh, J L; Liu, D X; Iza, F; Kong, M G; Rong, M Z

2010-01-01

Glow discharges in air are often considered to be the ultimate low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas for numerous chamber-free applications. This is due to the ubiquitous presence of air and the perceived abundance of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in air plasmas. In this paper, sub-microsecond pulsed atmospheric air plasmas are shown to produce a low concentration of excited oxygen atoms but an abundance of excited nitrogen species, UV photons and ozone molecules. This contrasts sharply with the efficient production of excited oxygen atoms in comparable helium-oxygen discharges. Relevant reaction chemistry analysed with a global model suggests that collisional excitation of O 2 by helium metastables is significantly more efficient than electron dissociative excitation of O 2 , electron excitation of O and ion-ion recombination. These results suggest different practical uses of the two oxygen-containing atmospheric discharges, with air plasmas being well suited for nitrogen and UV based chemistry and He-O 2 plasmas for excited atomic oxygen based chemistry. (fast track communication)

Fundamental Studies of Transient, Atmospheric-Pressure, Small-Scale Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-23

C. Jiang, R. Heller, J. Lane, and K. H. Schoenbach, " Ozone -free nitric oxide production using an atmospheric pressure surface discharge – a way to...Electrostatic modeling and energy-dependent studies showed that the direct and indirect electron-induced processes in the pulsed plasma jet are responsible for...Coupled sliding discharges : a scalable nonthermal plasma system utilizing positive and negative streamers on DISTRIBUTION A: Distribution

Atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization of 1,3-butadiene for hydrophobic finishing of textile substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samanta, Kartick K; Jassal, Manjeet; Agrawal, Ashwini K

2010-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma processing of textile has both ecological and economical advantages over the wet-chemical processing. However, reaction in atmospheric pressure plasma has important challenges to be overcome before it can be successfully used for finishing applications in textile. These challenges are (i) generating stable glow plasma in presence liquid/gaseous monomer, and (ii) keeping the generated radicals active in the presence of contaminants such as oxygen and air. In this study, a stable glow plasma was generated at atmospheric pressure in the mixture of gaseous reactive monomer-1,3-butadiene and He and was made to react with cellulosic textile substrate. After 12 min of plasma treatment, the hydrophilic surface of the cellulosic substrate turned into highly hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic finish was found to be durable to soap washing. After soap washing, a water drop of 37 μl took around 250 s to get absorbed in the treated sample compared to 0 . Both top and bottom sides of the fabric showed similar hydrophobic results in terms of water absorbency and contact angle. The results may be attributed to chemical reaction of butadiene with the cellulosic textile substrate. The surface characterization of the plasma modified samples under SEM and AFM revealed modification of the surface under <100 nm. The results showed that atmospheric pressure plasma can be successfully used for carrying out reaction of 1,3-butadiene with cellulosic textile substrates for producing hydrophobic surface finish.

Physics and applications of micro-plasmas in dielectric barrier and hollow cathode configurations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boeuf, J. P.; Pitchford, L. C.

2005-01-01

Non-equilibrium or non-thermal plasmas operate at low gas temperatures and this property make these plasmas very attractive in a number of applications, from etching and deposition in the microelectronics industry to plasma displays and pollution control. However, although it is quite easy to generate a large volume non-equilibrium plasma at pressure on the order or below 100 Pa, this is more of a challenge around atmospheric pressure. Large area plasma sources operating at atmospheric pressure represent a very cost-effective solution for material processing, light sources and other applications, and a large research effort has been devoted to the development of such sources in the last ten years. Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs), where one or both electrodes are covered with a dielectric layer are good candidates for atmospheric non-equilibrium plasma generation because of their ability to limit the current and power deposition. It is also much easier to control an atmospheric discharge in a small volume. Therefore an atmospheric plasma source often consists of a number of micro-discharges arranged in a way that depends on the application. Even in DBDs with large electrode areas, the plasma is generally not uniform and consists in a large number of micro-discharges or filaments. In this lecture we present a discussion of the physical properties of non-equilibrium plasmas generated in different configurations and operating at atmospheric pressure. This discussion is based on results from numerical models and simulations of Dielectric Barrier Discharges to Micro-Hollow Cathode Discharges. We then focus on specific applications such as surface DBDs for flow control. These discharges (which have some similarities with the surface micro-discharges used in Plasma Display Panels) are being studied for their ability to modify the properties of the boundary layer along airfoils and hence to control the transition between laminar and turbulent regimes. We will show how

Collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Kogelschatz, U.

2010-11-01

Barrier discharges are increasingly used as a cost-effective configuration to produce non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure. This way, copious amounts of electrons, ions, free radicals and excited species can be generated without significant heating of the background gas. In most applications the barrier is made of dielectric material. Major applications utilizing mainly dielectric barriers include ozone generation, surface cleaning and modification, polymer and textile treatment, sterilization, pollution control, CO2 lasers, excimer lamps, plasma display panels (flat TV screens). More recent research efforts are devoted to biomedical applications and to plasma actuators for flow control. Sinusoidal feeding voltages at various frequencies as well as pulsed excitation schemes are used. Volume as well as surface barrier discharges can exist in the form of filamentary, regularly patterned or diffuse, laterally homogeneous discharges. The physical effects leading to collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges are discussed in detail. Special attention is paid to self-organization of current filaments and pattern formation. Major similarities of the two types of barrier discharges are elaborated.

Effects of ambient temperature and water vapor on chamber pressure and oxygen level during low atmospheric pressure stunning of poultry.

Science.gov (United States)

Holloway, Paul H; Pritchard, David G

2017-08-01

The characteristics of the vacuum used in a low atmospheric pressure stunning system to stun (render unconscious) poultry prior to slaughter are described. A vacuum chamber is pumped by a wet screw compressor. The vacuum pressure is reduced from ambient atmospheric pressure to an absolute vacuum pressure of ∼250 Torr (∼33 kPa) in ∼67 sec with the vacuum gate valve fully open. At ∼250 Torr, the sliding gate valve is partially closed to reduce effective pumping speed, resulting in a slower rate of decreasing pressure. Ambient temperature affects air density and water vapor pressure and thereby oxygen levels and the time at the minimum total pressure of ∼160 Torr (∼21 kPa) is varied from ∼120 to ∼220 sec to ensure an effective stun within the 280 seconds of each cycle. The reduction in total pressure results in a gradual reduction of oxygen partial pressure that was measured by a solid-state electrochemical oxygen sensor. The reduced oxygen pressure leads to hypoxia, which is recognized as a humane method of stunning poultry. The system maintains an oxygen concentration of air always reduces the oxygen concentrations to a value lower than in dry air. The partial pressure of water and oxygen were found to depend on the pump down parameters due to the formation of fog in the chamber and desorption of water from the birds and the walls of the vacuum chamber. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.

Where do winds come from? A new theory on how water vapor condensation influences atmospheric pressure and dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Makarieva, A. M.; Gorshkov, V. G.; Sheil, D.; Nobre, A. D.; Li, B.-L.

2013-01-01

Phase transitions of atmospheric water play a ubiquitous role in the Earth's climate system, but their direct impact on atmospheric dynamics has escaped wide attention. Here we examine and advance a theory as to how condensation influences atmospheric pressure through the mass removal of water from the gas phase with a simultaneous account of the latent heat release. Building from fundamental physical principles we show that condensation is associated with a decline in air pressure in the lower atmosphere. This decline occurs up to a certain height, which ranges from 3 to 4 km for surface temperatures from 10 to 30 °C. We then estimate the horizontal pressure differences associated with water vapor condensation and find that these are comparable in magnitude with the pressure differences driving observed circulation patterns. The water vapor delivered to the atmosphere via evaporation represents a store of potential energy available to accelerate air and thus drive winds. Our estimates suggest that the global mean power at which this potential energy is released by condensation is around one per cent of the global solar power - this is similar to the known stationary dissipative power of general atmospheric circulation. We conclude that condensation and evaporation merit attention as major, if previously overlooked, factors in driving atmospheric dynamics.

Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled to Capillary Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization-Mass Spectrometry for Direct Analysis of Polar and Nonpolar Compounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Mirabelli, Mario F; Zenobi, Renato

2018-04-17

A novel capillary ionization source based on atmospheric pressure photoionization (cAPPI) was developed and used for the direct interfacing between solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and mass spectrometry (MS). The efficiency of the source was evaluated for direct and dopant-assisted photoionization, analyzing both polar (e.g., triazines and organophosphorus pesticides) and nonpolar (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) compounds. The results show that the range of compound polarity, which can be addressed by direct SPME-MS can be substantially extended by using cAPPI, compared to other sensitive techniques like direct analysis in real time (DART) and dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI). The new source delivers a very high sensitivity, down to sub parts-per-trillion (ppt), making it a viable alternative when compared to previously reported and less comprehensive direct approaches.

Rates of chemical reaction and atmospheric heating during core debris expulsion from a pressurized vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, D.A.; Tarbell, W.W.; Brockman, J.E.; Pilch, M.

1986-01-01

Core debris may be expelled from a pressurized reactor vessel during a severe nuclear reactor accident. Experimental studies of core debris expulsion from pressurized vessels have established that the expelled material can be lofted into the atmosphere of the reactor containment as particulate 0.4 to 2 mm in diameter. These particles will vigorously react with steam and oxygen in the containment atmosphere. Data on such reactions during tests with 80 kg of expelled melt will be reported. A model of the reaction rates based on gas phase mass transport will be described and shown to account for atmospheric heating and aerosol generation observed in the tests

Atmospheric pressure plasmas for surface modification of flexible and printed electronic devices: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyong Nam; Lee, Seung Min; Mishra, Anurag [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); Yeom, Geun Young, E-mail: gyyeom@skku.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of); SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-01-01

Recently, non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma, especially those operated at low gas temperatures, have become a topic of great interest for the processing of flexible and printed electronic devices due to several benefits such as the reduction of process and reactor costs, the employment of easy-to-handle apparatuses and the easier integration into continuous production lines. In this review, several types of typical atmospheric pressure plasma sources have been addressed, and the processes including surface treatment, texturing and sintering for application to flexible and printed electronic devices have been discussed.

Deposition of SiOx on Metal Surface with a DBD Plasma Gun at Atmospheric Pressure for Corrosion Prevention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Erli; Chen Qiang; Zhang Yuefei; Chen Fei; Ge Yuanjing

2007-01-01

In this study, SiO x films were deposited by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma gun at an atmospheric pressure. The relationship of the film structures with plasma powers was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was shown that an uniform and cross-linking structure film was formed by the DBD gun. As an application, the SiO x films were deposited on a carbon steel surface for the anti-corrosion purpose. The experiment was carried out in a 0.1 M NaCl solution. It was found that a very good anti-corrosive property was obtained, i.e., the corrosion rate was decreased c.a. 15 times in 5% NaCl solution compared to the non-SiO x coated steel, as detected by the potentiodynamic polarization measurement

Time and space variability of spectral estimates of atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Canavero, Flavio G.; Einaudi, Franco

1987-01-01

The temporal and spatial behaviors of atmospheric pressure spectra over the northern Italy and the Alpine massif were analyzed using data on surface pressure measurements carried out at two microbarograph stations in the Po Valley, one 50 km south of the Alps, the other in the foothills of the Dolomites. The first 15 days of the study overlapped with the Alpex Intensive Observation Period. The pressure records were found to be intrinsically nonstationary and were found to display substantial time variability, implying that the statistical moments depend on time. The shape and the energy content of spectra depended on different time segments. In addition, important differences existed between spectra obtained at the two stations, indicating a substantial effect of topography, particularly for periods less than 40 min.

Fructooligosaccharides integrity after atmospheric cold plasma and high-pressure processing of a functional orange juice.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Francisca Diva Lima; Gomes, Wesley Faria; Cavalcante, Rosane Souza; Tiwari, Brijesh K; Cullen, Patrick J; Frias, Jesus Maria; Bourke, Paula; Fernandes, Fabiano A N; Rodrigues, Sueli

2017-12-01

In this study, the effect of atmospheric pressure cold plasma and high-pressure processing on the prebiotic orange juice was evaluated. Orange juice containing 7g/100g of commercial fructooligosaccharides (FOS) was directly and indirectly exposed to a plasma discharge at 70kV with processing times of 15, 30, 45 and 60s. For high-pressure processing, the juice containing the same concentration of FOS was treated at 450MPa for 5min at 11.5°C in an industrial equipment (Hyperbaric, model: 300). After the treatments, the fructooligosaccharides were qualified and quantified by thin layer chromatography. The organic acids and color analysis were also evaluated. The maximal overall fructooligosaccharides degradation was found after high-pressure processing. The total color difference was pressure and plasma processing. citric and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) showed increased content after plasma and high-pressure treatment. Thus, atmospheric pressure cold plasma and high-pressure processing can be used as non-thermal alternatives to process prebiotic orange juice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Healing Effect of Low-Temperature Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma in Pressure Ulcer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuangsuwanich, Apirag; Assadamongkol, Tananchai; Boonyawan, Dheerawan

2016-12-01

Pressure ulcers are difficult to treat. Recent reports of low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma (LTAPP) indicated its safe and effectiveness in chronic wound care management. It has been shown both in vitro and vivo studies that LTAPP not only helps facilitate wound healing but also has antimicrobial efficacy due to its composition of ion and electron, free radicals, and ultraviolet ray. We studied the beneficial effect of LTAPP specifically on pressure ulcers. In a prospective randomized study, 50 patients with pressure ulcers were divided into 2 groups: Control group received standard wound care and the study group was treated with LTAPP once every week for 8 consecutive weeks in addition to standard wound care. We found that the group treated with LTAPP had significantly better PUSH (Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing) scores and exudate amount after 1 week of treatment. There was also a reduction in bacterial load after 1 treatment regardless of the species of bacteria identified.

Effects of periodic atmospheric pressure variation on radon entry into buildings

Science.gov (United States)

Tsang, Y. W.; Narasimhan, T. N.

1992-06-01

Using a mathematical model, we have investigated the temporal variations of radon entry into a house basement in the presence of time-dependent periodic variations of barometric pressure as well as a persistent small steady depressurization within the basement. The tool for our investigation is an integral finite difference numerical code which can solve for both diffusive and advective flux of radon in the soil gas which is treated as a slightly compressible fluid. Two different boundary conditions at the house basement are considered: (1) a dirt floor basement so that diffusion is equally or more important than advective transport, and (2) an "impermeable" cement basement except for a 1-cm-wide crack near the perimeter of the basement floor; in which case, advective transport of radon flux dominates. Two frequencies of barometric pressure fluctuation with representative values of amplitudes, based on a Fourier decomposition of barometric pressure data, were chosen in this study: one with a short period of 0.5 hour with pressure amplitude of 50 Pa, the other a diurnal variation with a period of 24 hours with the typical pressure amplitude of 250 Pa. For a homogeneous soil medium with soil permeability to air between 10-13 and 10-10 m2, we predict that the barometric fluctuations increase the radon entry into the basement by up to 120% of the steady radon inflow into the basement owing to a steady depressurization of 5 Pa. If soil permeability heterogeneity is present, such as the presence of a thin layer of higher permeability aggregate immediately below the basement floor, radon flux due to atmospheric pumping is further increased. Effects of pressure pumping on radon entry are also compared to diffusion-only transport when the steady depressurization is absent. It is found that contribution to radon entry is significant for the basement crack configuration. In particular, for pressure pumping at 0.5-hour period and for a homogeneous medium of permeability of 10

Atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of zinc oxide and aluminum zinc oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Kyle W.; Guruvenket, Srinivasan; Sailer, Robert A.; Ahrenkiel, S. Phillip; Schulz, Douglas L.

2013-01-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited via atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. A second-generation precursor, bis(1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedionato)(N,N′-diethylethylenediamine) zinc, exhibited significant vapor pressure and good stability at one atmosphere where a vaporization temperature of 110 °C gave flux ∼ 7 μmol/min. Auger electron spectroscopy confirmed that addition of H 2 O to the carrier gas stream mitigated F contamination giving nearly 1:1 metal:oxide stoichiometries for both ZnO and AZO with little precursor-derived C contamination. ZnO and AZO thin film resistivities ranged from 14 to 28 Ω·cm for the former and 1.1 to 2.7 Ω·cm for the latter. - Highlights: • A second generation precursor was utilized for atmospheric pressure film growth. • Addition of water vapor to the carrier gas stream led to a marked reduction of ZnF 2 . • Carbonaceous contamination from the precursor was minimal

When API Mass Spectrometry Meets Super Atmospheric Pressure Ion Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lee Chuin

2015-01-01

In a tutorial paper on the application of free-jet technique for API-MS, John Fenn mentioned that “…for a number of years and a number of reasons, it has been found advantageous in many situations to carry out the ionization process in gas at pressures up to 1000 Torr or more” (Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 200: 459–478, 2000). In fact, the first ESI mass spectrometer constructed by Yamashita and Fenn had a counter-flow curtain gas source at 1050 Torr (ca. 1.4 atm) to sweep away the neutral (J. Phys. Chem. 88: 4451–4459, 1984). For gaseous ionization using electrospray plume, theoretical analysis also shows that “super-atmospheric operation would be more preferable in space-charge-limited situations.”(Int. J. Mass Spectrom. 300: 182–193, 2011). However, electrospray and the corona-based chemical ion source (APCI) in most commercial instrument are basically operated under an atmospheric pressure ambient, perhaps out of the concern of safety, convenience and simplicity in maintenance. Running the ion source at pressure much higher than 1 atm is not so common, but had been done by a number of groups as well as in our laboratory. A brief review on these ion sources will be given in this paper. PMID:26819912

Atmospheric pressure photoionisation : An ionization method for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Robb, DB; Covey, TR; Bruins, AP

2000-01-01

Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) has been successfully demonstrated to provide high sensitivity to LC-MS analysis. A vacuum-ultraviolet lamp designed for photoionization detection in gas chromatography is used as a source of 10-eV photons. The mixture of samples and solvent eluting from

Electrolytic synthesis of ammonia in molten salts under atmospheric pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, Tsuyoshi; Nishikiori, Tokujiro; Nohira, Toshiyuki; Ito, Yasuhiko

2003-01-15

Ammonia was successfully synthesized by using a new electrochemical reaction with high current efficiency at atmospheric pressure and at lower temperatures than the Haber-Bosch process. In this method, nitride ion (N3-), which is produced by the reduction from nitrogen gas at the cathode, is anodically oxidized and reacts with hydrogen to produce ammonia at the anode.

Atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization of 1,3-butadiene for hydrophobic finishing of textile substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samanta, Kartick K; Jassal, Manjeet; Agrawal, Ashwini K, E-mail: ashwini@smita-iitd.co, E-mail: manjeet.jassal@smita-iitd.co [Smart and Innovative Textile Materials Group (SMITA), Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016 (India)

2010-02-01

Atmospheric pressure plasma processing of textile has both ecological and economical advantages over the wet-chemical processing. However, reaction in atmospheric pressure plasma has important challenges to be overcome before it can be successfully used for finishing applications in textile. These challenges are (i) generating stable glow plasma in presence liquid/gaseous monomer, and (ii) keeping the generated radicals active in the presence of contaminants such as oxygen and air. In this study, a stable glow plasma was generated at atmospheric pressure in the mixture of gaseous reactive monomer-1,3-butadiene and He and was made to react with cellulosic textile substrate. After 12 min of plasma treatment, the hydrophilic surface of the cellulosic substrate turned into highly hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic finish was found to be durable to soap washing. After soap washing, a water drop of 37 {mu}l took around 250 s to get absorbed in the treated sample compared to < 1 s in the untreated samples. The plasma modified samples showed water contact angle of around 134{sup 0}. Both top and bottom sides of the fabric showed similar hydrophobic results in terms of water absorbency and contact angle. The results may be attributed to chemical reaction of butadiene with the cellulosic textile substrate. The surface characterization of the plasma modified samples under SEM and AFM revealed modification of the surface under <100 nm. The results showed that atmospheric pressure plasma can be successfully used for carrying out reaction of 1,3-butadiene with cellulosic textile substrates for producing hydrophobic surface finish.

Two dimensional radial gas flows in atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Gwihyun; Park, Seran; Shin, Hyunsu; Song, Seungho; Oh, Hoon-Jung; Ko, Dae Hong; Choi, Jung-Il; Baik, Seung Jae

2017-12-01

Atmospheric pressure (AP) operation of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is one of promising concepts for high quality and low cost processing. Atmospheric plasma discharge requires narrow gap configuration, which causes an inherent feature of AP PECVD. Two dimensional radial gas flows in AP PECVD induces radial variation of mass-transport and that of substrate temperature. The opposite trend of these variations would be the key consideration in the development of uniform deposition process. Another inherent feature of AP PECVD is confined plasma discharge, from which volume power density concept is derived as a key parameter for the control of deposition rate. We investigated deposition rate as a function of volume power density, gas flux, source gas partial pressure, hydrogen partial pressure, plasma source frequency, and substrate temperature; and derived a design guideline of deposition tool and process development in terms of deposition rate and uniformity.

The critical assessment of vapour pressure estimation methods for use in modelling the formation of atmospheric organic aerosol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. H. Barley

2010-01-01

Full Text Available A selection of models for estimating vapour pressures have been tested against experimental data for a set of compounds selected for their particular relevance to the formation of atmospheric aerosol by gas-liquid partitioning. The experimental vapour pressure data (all <100 Pa of 45 multifunctional compounds provide a stringent test of the estimation techniques, with a recent complex group contribution method providing the best overall results. The effect of errors in vapour pressures upon the formation of organic aerosol by gas-liquid partitioning in an atmospherically relevant example is also investigated. The mass of organic aerosol formed under typical atmospheric conditions was found to be very sensitive to the variation in vapour pressure values typically present when comparing estimation methods.

A study of the effect on human mesenchymal stem cells of an atmospheric pressure plasma source driven by different voltage waveforms

Science.gov (United States)

Laurita, R.; Alviano, F.; Marchionni, C.; Abruzzo, P. M.; Bolotta, A.; Bonsi, L.; Colombo, V.; Gherardi, M.; Liguori, A.; Ricci, F.; Rossi, M.; Stancampiano, A.; Tazzari, P. L.; Marini, M.

2016-09-01

The effect of an atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma on human mesenchymal stem cells was investigated. A dielectric barrier discharge non-equilibrium plasma source driven by two different high-voltage pulsed generators was used and cell survival, senescence, proliferation, and differentiation were evaluated. Cells deprived of the culture medium and treated with nanosecond pulsed plasma showed a higher mortality rate, while higher survival and retention of proliferation were observed in cells treated with microsecond pulsed plasma in the presence of the culture medium. While a few treated cells showed the hallmarks of senescence, unexpected delayed apoptosis ensued in cells exposed to plasma-treated medium. The plasma treatment did not change the expression of OCT4, a marker of mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Microplasma discharge vacuum ultraviolet photoionization source for atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Symonds, Joshua M; Gann, Reuben N; Fernández, Facundo M; Orlando, Thomas M

2014-09-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the first use of an atmospheric pressure microplasma-based vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization source in atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry applications. The device is a robust, easy-to-operate microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) that enables generation of VUV photons from Ne and Ne/H(2) gas mixtures. Photons were detected by excitation of a microchannel plate detector and by analysis of diagnostic sample ions using a mass spectrometer. Reactive ions, charged particles, and metastables produced in the discharge were blocked from entering the ionization region by means of a lithium fluoride window, and photoionization was performed in a nitrogen-purged environment. By reducing the output pressure of the MHCD, we observed heightened production of higher-energy photons, making the photoionization source more effective. The initial performance of the MHCD VUV source has been evaluated by ionizing model analytes such as acetone, azulene, benzene, dimethylaniline, and glycine, which were introduced in solid or liquid phase. These molecules represent species with both high and low proton affinities, and ionization energies ranging from 7.12 to 9.7 eV.

Relation between plasma plume density and gas flow velocity in atmospheric pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yambe, Kiyoyuki; Taka, Shogo; Ogura, Kazuo

2014-01-01

We have studied atmospheric pressure plasma generated using a quartz tube, helium gas, and copper foil electrode by applying RF high voltage. The atmospheric pressure plasma in the form of a bullet is released as a plume into the atmosphere. To study the properties of the plasma plume, the plasma plume current is estimated from the difference in currents on the circuit, and the drift velocity is measured using a photodetector. The relation of the plasma plume density n plu , which is estimated from the current and the drift velocity, and the gas flow velocity v gas is examined. It is found that the dependence of the density on the gas flow velocity has relations of n plu ∝ log(v gas ). However, the plasma plume density in the laminar flow is higher than that in the turbulent flow. Consequently, in the laminar flow, the density increases with increasing the gas flow velocity

Discharge physics and chemistry of a novel atmospheric pressure plasma source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, J.; Henins, I.; Hermann, J.W.; Selwyn, G.S.; Jeong, J.Y.; Hickis, R.

1999-07-01

The atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is a unique plasma source operating at atmospheric pressure. The APPJ operates with RF power and produces a stable non-thermal discharge in capacitively-coupled configuration. The discharge is spatially and temporally homogeneous and provides a unique gas phase chemistry that is well suited for various applications including etching, film deposition, surface treatment and decontamination of chemical and biological warfare (CBW) agents. A theoretical model shows electron densities of 0.2--2 x 10{sup 11} cm{sup {minus}3} for a helium discharge at a power level of 3--30 W cm{sup {minus}3}. The APPJ also produces a large flux, equivalent of up to 10,000 monolayer s{sup {minus}1}, of chemically-active, atomic and metastable molecular species which can impinge surfaces several cm downstream of the confined source. In addition, the efforts are in progress to measure the electron density using microwave diagnostics and to benchmark the gas phase chemical model by using LIF and titration.

Capacity-coupled multidischarge for atmospheric plasma production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mase, Hiroshi; Fujiwara, Tamiya; Sato, Noriyoshi

2003-01-01

We propose a method of plasma production by capacity-coupled multidischarge (CCMD) at atmospheric pressure. The discharge gaps in the CCMD consist of a common electrode and a number of compact electrodes (CCE) which are directly coupled with small capacitors for quenching the discharge. A simple CCE structure is provided by a cylindrical capacitor, the inner conductor of which is used as a gap electrode. A short pulse discharge is observed to appear homogeneously at each CCE. A charge transfer for the single-pulsed discharge is 10-100 times as large as that of the conventional dielectric barrier discharge. A high efficiency of ozone production has been confirmed in the CCMD using O 2 gas. A device configuration of the CCMD is quite flexible with respect to its geometrical shape and size. The CCMD could be used to produce plasmas for various kinds of industrial applications at atmospheric pressure

Decontamination of burn wounds using a cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Gils, Koen; Hofmann, S.; Boekema, B.K.H.L.; Bruggeman, P.J.

2012-01-01

Decontamination of burn wounds using a cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet C.A.J. van Gils, S. Hofmann, B. Boekema and P. Bruggeman Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, group EPG, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven In the treatment of burn wounds bacterial infections are

Structural bifurcation of microwave helium jet discharge at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takamura, Shuichi; Kitoh, Masakazu; Soga, Tadasuke

2008-01-01

Structural bifurcation of microwave-sustained jet discharge at atmospheric gas pressure was found to produce a stable helium plasma jet, which may open the possibility of a new type of high-flux test plasma beam for plasma-wall interactions in fusion devices. The fundamental discharge properties are presented including hysteresis characteristics, imaging of discharge emissive structure, and stable ignition parameter area. (author)

Eustachian tube function and middle ear barotrauma associated with extremes in atmospheric pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazawa, T; Ueda, H; Yanagita, N

1996-11-01

Eustachian tube (ET) function was studied by means of sonotubometry and tubotympano-aerodynamography (TTAG) prior to and following exposure to hypobaric or hyperbaric conditions. Forty normal adults were subjected to hypobaric pressure. Fifty adults who underwent hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy also were studied. Following hypobaric exposure, 14 of 80 ears (17.5%) exhibited middle ear barotrauma. Following hyperbaric exposure, 34 of 100 ears (34%) exhibited middle ear barotrauma. Dysfunction of the ET, characterized by altered active and passive opening capacity, was more prevalent following exposure to extremes in atmospheric pressure compared to baseline. The ET function, which was impaired after the first HBO treatment, improved gradually over the next 2 hours. Overall, however, ET function was worse after the seventh treatment. The patients who developed barotrauma exhibited worse ET function prior to hypobaric or hyperbaric exposure. Thus, abnormal ET function can be used to predict middle ear barotrauma prior to exposure to hypobaric or hyperbaric atmospheric pressure.

On non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets and plasma bullet

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xinpei

2012-10-01

Because of the enhanced plasma chemistry, atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium plasmas (APNPs) have been widely studied for several emerging applications such as biomedical applications. For the biomedical applications, plasma jet devices, which generate plasma in open space (surrounding air) rather than in confined discharge gaps only, have lots of advantages over the traditional dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices. For example, it can be used for root canal disinfection, which can't be realized by the traditional plasma device. On the other hand, currently, the working gases of most of the plasma jet devices are noble gases or the mixtures of the noble gases with small amount of O2, or air. If ambient air is used as the working gas, several serious difficulties are encountered in the plasma generation process. Amongst these are high gas temperatures and disrupting instabilities. In this presentation, firstly, a brief review of the different cold plasma jets developed to date is presented. Secondly, several different plasma jet devices developed in our lab are reported. The effects of various parameters on the plasma jets are discussed. Finally, one of the most interesting phenomena of APNP-Js, the plasma bullet is discussed and its behavior is described. References: [1] X. Lu, M. Laroussi, V. Puech, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21, 034005 (2012); [2] Y. Xian, X. Lu, S. Wu, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, Appl. Phys. Lett. 100, 123702 (2012); [3] X. Pei, X. Lu, J. Liu, D. Liu, Y. Yang, K. Ostrikov, P. Chu, and Y. Pan, J. Phys. D 45, 165205 (2012).

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Atmospheric Pressure Made Using the Oxygen A-Band

Science.gov (United States)

Riris, Haris; Rodriquez, Michael D.; Allan, Graham R.; Hasselbrack, William E.; Mao, Jianping; Stephen, Mark A.; Abshire, James B.

2012-01-01

Accurate measurements of greenhouse gas mixing ratios on a global scale are currently needed to gain a better understanding of climate change and its possible impact on our planet. In order to remotely measure greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere with regard to dry air, the air number density in the atmosphere is also needed in deriving the greenhouse gas concentrations. Since oxygen is stable and uniformly mixed in the atmosphere at 20.95%, the measurement of an oxygen absorption in the atmosphere can be used to infer the dry air density and used to calculate the dry air mixing ratio of a greenhouse gas, such as carbon dioxide or methane. OUT technique of measuring Oxygen uses integrated path differential absorption (IPDA) with an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDF A) laser system and single photon counting module (SPCM). It measures the absorbance of several on- and off-line wavelengths tuned to an O2 absorption line in the A-band at 764.7 nm. The choice of wavelengths allows us to maximize the pressure sensitivity using the trough between two absorptions in the Oxygen A-band. Our retrieval algorithm uses ancillary meteorological and aircraft altitude information to fit the experimentally obtained lidar O2 line shapes to a model atmosphere and derives the pressure from the profiles of the two lines. We have demonstrated O2 measurements from the ground and from an airborne platform. In this paper we will report on our airborne measurements during our 2011 campaign for the ASCENDS program.

Parameters of a supershort avalanche electron beam generated in atmospheric-pressure air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarasenko, V. F.

2011-01-01

Conditions under which the number of runaway electrons in atmospheric-pressure air reaches ∼5 × 10 10 are determined. Recommendations for creating runaway electron accelerators are given. Methods for measuring the parameters of a supershort avalanche electron beam and X-ray pulses from gas-filled diodes, as well as the discharge current and gap voltage, are described. A technique for determining the instant of runaway electron generation with respect to the voltage pulse is proposed. It is shown that the reduction in the gap voltage and the decrease in the beam current coincide in time. The mechanism of intense electron beam generation in gas-filled diodes is analyzed. It is confirmed experimentally that, in optimal regimes, the number of electrons generated in atmospheric-pressure air with energies T > eU m , where U m is the maximum gap voltage, is relatively small.

Parameters of a supershort avalanche electron beam generated in atmospheric-pressure air

Science.gov (United States)

Tarasenko, V. F.

2011-05-01

Conditions under which the number of runaway electrons in atmospheric-pressure air reaches ˜5 × 1010 are determined. Recommendations for creating runaway electron accelerators are given. Methods for measuring the parameters of a supershort avalanche electron beam and X-ray pulses from gas-filled diodes, as well as the discharge current and gap voltage, are described. A technique for determining the instant of runaway electron generation with respect to the voltage pulse is proposed. It is shown that the reduction in the gap voltage and the decrease in the beam current coincide in time. The mechanism of intense electron beam generation in gas-filled diodes is analyzed. It is confirmed experimentally that, in optimal regimes, the number of electrons generated in atmospheric-pressure air with energies T > eU m , where U m is the maximum gap voltage, is relatively small.

How Greek nurses perceive and overcome the barriers in implementing treatment for pressure ulcers: 'against the odds'.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaba, E; Kelesi, M; Stavropoulou, A; Moustakas, D; Fasoi, G

2017-09-01

Although the occurrence of pressure ulcers (PUs) is now considered as an indicator of poor quality nursing care, questions and concerns remain regarding situations where PUs were unavoidable, irrespective of the care provided. The aim of this study was to explore Greek nurses' perceptions about the barriers involved and to identify the factors that influence care planning in PU treatment. A grounded theory approach was used and semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses who provided pressure care to clients in a rehabilitation centre in Greece. Data were analysed using the constant comparative method. We interviewed seven nurses. Findings revealed one main category entitled 'anarchy' in delivery of care consisted of the following three subcategories: interdisciplinary conflicts; total trust in traditional knowledge; and devaluation of other's work/role and a core category 'Against the odds': the perceived value of prevention and treatment can overcome the barriers in treating PUs. This study gives an overview of the views and beliefs of nurses about the problems and barriers involved in PU prevention and treatment. The study reveals that although some barriers to good practice may exist, nurses can hold a positive attitude toward PU prevention and treatment, and their perceived value of prevention and treatment may help nurses to overcome the barriers in managing PUs.

Monitoring active species in an atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharge: Observation of the Herman-infrared system

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Annušová, A.; Čermák, P.; Rakovský, Jozef; Martišovitš, V.; Veis, P.

2017-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 2 (2017), s. 67-75 ISSN 0863-1042 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : dielectric-barrier discharge * Herman-infrared system * nitrogen Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry Impact factor: 1.440, year: 2016

The effect of meteorological data on atmospheric pressure loading corrections in VLBI data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Balidakis, Kyriakos; Glaser, Susanne; Karbon, Maria; Soja, Benedikt; Nilsson, Tobias; Lu, Cuixian; Anderson, James; Liu, Li; Andres Mora-Diaz, Julian; Raposo-Pulido, Virginia; Xu, Minghui; Heinkelmann, Robert; Schuh, Harald

2015-04-01

Earth's crustal deformation is a manifestation of numerous geophysical processes, which entail the atmosphere and ocean general circulation and tidal attraction, climate change, and the hydrological circle. The present study deals with the elastic deformations induced by atmospheric pressure variations. At geodetic sites, APL (Atmospheric Pressure Loading) results in displacements covering a wide range of temporal scales which is undesirable when rigorous geodetic/geophysical analysis is intended. Hence, it is of paramount importance that the APL signal are removed at the observation level in the space geodetic data analysis. In this study, elastic non-tidal components of loading displacements were calculated in the local topocentric frame for all VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) stations with respect to the center-of-figure of the solid Earth surface and the center-of-mass of the total Earth system. The response of the Earth to the load variation at the surface was computed by convolving Farrell Green's function with the homogenized in situ surface pressure observations (in the time span 1979-2014) after the subtraction of the reference pressure and the S1, S2 and S3 thermal tidal signals. The reference pressure was calculated through a hypsometric adjustment of the absolute pressure level determined from World Meteorological Organization stations in the vicinity of each VLBI observatory. The tidal contribution was calculated following the 2010 International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service conventions. Afterwards, this approach was implemented into the VLBI software VieVS@GFZ and the entirety of available VLBI sessions was analyzed. We rationalize our new approach on the basis that the potential error budget is substantially reduced, since several common errors are not applicable in our approach, e.g. those due to the finite resolution of NWM (Numerical Weather Models), the accuracy of the orography model necessary for adjusting the former as

Use of Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma for Meat Industry

OpenAIRE

Lee, Juri; Lee, Cheol Woo; Yong, Hae In; Lee, Hyun Jung; Jo, Cheorun; Jung, Samooel

2017-01-01

Novel, effective methods to control and prevent spoilage and contamination by pathogenic microorganisms in meat and meat products are in constant demand. Non-thermal pasteurization is an ideal method for the preservation of meat and meat products because it does not use heat during the pasteurization process. Atmospheric pressure cold plasma (APCP) is a new technology for the non-thermal pasteurization of meat and meat products. Several recent studies have shown that APCP treatment reduces th...

Effect of feed-gas humidity on nitrogen atmospheric-pressure plasma jet for biological applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephan, Karl D; McLean, Robert J C; DeLeon, Gian; Melnikov, Vadim

2016-11-14

We investigate the effect of feed-gas humidity on the oxidative properties of an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet using nitrogen gas. Plasma jets operating at atmospheric pressure are finding uses in medical and biological settings for sterilization and other applications involving oxidative stress applied to organisms. Most jets use noble gases, but some researchers use less expensive nitrogen gas. The feed-gas water content (humidity) has been found to influence the performance of noble-gas plasma jets, but has not yet been systematically investigated for jets using nitrogen gas. Low-humidity and high-humidity feed gases were used in a nitrogen plasma jet, and the oxidation effect of the jet was measured quantitatively using a chemical dosimeter known as FBX (ferrous sulfate-benzoic acid-xylenol orange). The plasma jet using high humidity was found to have about ten times the oxidation effect of the low-humidity jet, as measured by comparison with the addition of measured amounts of hydrogen peroxide to the FBX dosimeter. Atmospheric-pressure plasma jets using nitrogen as a feed gas have a greater oxidizing effect with a high level of humidity added to the feed gas.

The transition mechanism from a symmetric single period discharge to a period-doubling discharge in atmospheric helium dielectric-barrier discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Dingzong; Wang, Yanhui; Wang, Dezhen

2013-01-01

Period-doubling and chaos phenomenon have been frequently observed in atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier discharges. However, how a normal single period discharge bifurcates into period-doubling state is still unclear. In this paper, by changing the driving frequency, we study numerically the transition mechanisms from a normal single period discharge to a period-doubling state using a one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model. The results show that before a discharge bifurcates into a period-doubling state, it first deviates from its normal operation and transforms into an asymmetric single period discharge mode. Then the weaker discharge in this asymmetric discharge will be enhanced gradually with increasing of the frequency until it makes the subsequent discharge weaken and results in the discharge entering a period-doubling state. In the whole transition process, the spatial distribution of the charged particle density and the electric field plays a definitive role. The conclusions are further confirmed by changing the gap width and the amplitude of the applied voltage

The transition mechanism from a symmetric single period discharge to a period-doubling discharge in atmospheric helium dielectric-barrier discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Dingzong; Wang, Yanhui; Wang, Dezhen [School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China)

2013-06-15

Period-doubling and chaos phenomenon have been frequently observed in atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier discharges. However, how a normal single period discharge bifurcates into period-doubling state is still unclear. In this paper, by changing the driving frequency, we study numerically the transition mechanisms from a normal single period discharge to a period-doubling state using a one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model. The results show that before a discharge bifurcates into a period-doubling state, it first deviates from its normal operation and transforms into an asymmetric single period discharge mode. Then the weaker discharge in this asymmetric discharge will be enhanced gradually with increasing of the frequency until it makes the subsequent discharge weaken and results in the discharge entering a period-doubling state. In the whole transition process, the spatial distribution of the charged particle density and the electric field plays a definitive role. The conclusions are further confirmed by changing the gap width and the amplitude of the applied voltage.

Destruction of Bacillus subtilis cells using an atmospheric-pressure dielectric capillary electrode discharge plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panikov, N.S.; Paduraru, S.; Crowe, R.; Ricatto, P.J.; Christodoulatos, C.; Becker, K.

2002-01-01

The results of experiments aimed at the investigation of the destruction of spore-forming bacteria, which are believed to be among the most resistant microorganisms, using a novel atmospheric-pressure dielectric capillary electrode discharge plasma are reported. Various well-characterized cultures of Bacillus subtilis were prepared, subjected to atmospheric-pressure plasma jets emanating from a plasma shower reactor operated either in He or in air (N 2 /O 2 mixture) at various power levels and exposure times, and analyzed after plasma treatment. Reductions in colony-forming units ranged from 10 4 (He plasma) to 10 8 (air plasma) for plasma exposure times of less than 10 minutes. (author)

New pool boiling data for water with copper-foam metal at sub-atmospheric pressures: Experiments and correlation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choon, Ng Kim; Chakraborty, Anutosh; Aye, Sai Maung; Xiaolin, Wang [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 10 Kent Ridge Crescent, Singapore 119260 (Singapore)

2006-08-15

Over the past decades, pool boiling heat transfer of water has been investigated extensively by many scientists and researchers at system pressures varying from atmospheric to near critical pressure. However, at sub-atmospheric pressures conditions there is a dearth of data, particularly when the vapour pressures are less than 10kPa. The authors have conducted a detailed study of pool boiling of water in an evaporator where its system pressure was about 1.8kPa. The heat flux for pool boiling was derived from an uniform radiant heaters up to 5W/cm{sup 2} (or a total heating rate of 125W within an area of 25cm{sup 2}), a region that is of interest for the cooling of CPUs. (author)

Impact of low atmosphere pressure stunning of broilers on breast skin Salmonella and Campylobacter post-defeathering and breast fillet meat quality

Science.gov (United States)

Low atmosphere pressure stun (LAPS) is a method of controlled atmosphere poultry slaughter that utilizes a decrease of atmospheric pressure (0.2 ATM) to induce unconsciousness and death. Following feed withdrawal periods of 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours, broilers were slaughtered using LAPS or electrical stu...

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment for Grey Cotton Knitted Fabric

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chi-wai Kan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available 100% grey cotton knitted fabric contains impurities and yellowness and needs to be prepared for processing to make it suitable for coloration and finishing. Therefore, conventionally 100% grey cotton knitted fabric undergoes a process of scouring and bleaching, which involves the use of large amounts of water and chemicals, in order to remove impurities and yellowness. Due to increased environmental awareness, pursuing a reduction of water and chemicals is a current trend in textile processing. In this study, we explore the possibility of using atmospheric pressure plasma as a dry process to treat 100% grey cotton knitted fabric (single jersey and interlock before processing. Experimental results reveal that atmospheric pressure plasma treatment can effectively remove impurities from 100% grey cotton knitted fabrics and significantly improve its water absorption property. On the other hand, if 100% grey cotton knitted fabrics are pretreated with plasma and then undergo a normal scouring process, the treatment time is reduced. In addition, the surface morphological and chemical changes in plasma-treated fabrics were studied and compared with the conventionally treated fabrics using scanning electron microscope (SEM, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. The decrease in carbon content, as shown in XPS, reveal the removal of surface impurities. The oxygen-to-carbon (O/C ratios of the plasma treated knitted fabrics reveal enhanced hydrophilicity.

Patterned deposition by atmospheric pressure plasma-enhanced spatial atomic layer deposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poodt, P.; Kniknie, B.J.; Branca, A.; Winands, G.J.J.; Roozeboom, F.

2011-01-01

An atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition reactor has been developed, to deposit Al2O3 films from trimethyl aluminum and an He/O2 plasma. This technique can be used for 2D patterned deposition in a single in-line process by making use of switched localized plasma sources. It

Blow-out of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang; Hu, Longhua; Chung, Suk-Ho

2016-01-01

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in quiescent air at sub-atmospheric pressures (50–100 kPa) were studied experimentally using propane fuel with nozzle diameters ranging 0.8–4 mm. Results showed that the fuel jet velocity at blow-out limit increased with increasing ambient pressure and nozzle diameter. A Damköhler (Da) number based model was adopted, defined as the ratio of characteristic mixing time and characteristic reaction time, to include the effect of pressure considering the variations in laminar burning velocity and thermal diffusivity with pressure. The critical lift-off height at blow-out, representing a characteristic length scale for mixing, had a linear relationship with the theoretically predicted stoichiometric location along the jet axis, which had a weak dependence on ambient pressure. The characteristic mixing time (critical lift-off height divided by jet velocity) adjusted to the characteristic reaction time such that the critical Damköhler at blow-out conditions maintained a constant value when varying the ambient pressure.

Blow-out of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Wang, Qiang

2016-12-09

Blow-out limits of nonpremixed turbulent jet flames in quiescent air at sub-atmospheric pressures (50–100 kPa) were studied experimentally using propane fuel with nozzle diameters ranging 0.8–4 mm. Results showed that the fuel jet velocity at blow-out limit increased with increasing ambient pressure and nozzle diameter. A Damköhler (Da) number based model was adopted, defined as the ratio of characteristic mixing time and characteristic reaction time, to include the effect of pressure considering the variations in laminar burning velocity and thermal diffusivity with pressure. The critical lift-off height at blow-out, representing a characteristic length scale for mixing, had a linear relationship with the theoretically predicted stoichiometric location along the jet axis, which had a weak dependence on ambient pressure. The characteristic mixing time (critical lift-off height divided by jet velocity) adjusted to the characteristic reaction time such that the critical Damköhler at blow-out conditions maintained a constant value when varying the ambient pressure.

Atmospheric pressure cold plasma as an antifungal therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun Peng; Wu Haiyan; Sun Yi; Liu Wei; Li Ruoyu; Zhu Weidong; Lopez, Jose L.; Zhang Jue; Fang Jing

2011-01-01

A microhollow cathode based, direct-current, atmospheric pressure, He/O 2 (2%) cold plasma microjet was used to inactive antifungal resistants Candida albicans, Candida krusei, and Candida glabrata in air and in water. Effective inactivation (>90%) was achieved in 10 min in air and 1 min in water. Antifungal susceptibility tests showed drastic reduction of the minimum inhibitory concentration after plasma treatment. The inactivation was attributed to the reactive oxygen species generated in plasma or in water. Hydroxyl and singlet molecular oxygen radicals were detected in plasma-water system by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. This approach proposed a promising clinical dermatology therapy.

The conceptual design of high temporal resolution HCN interferometry for atmospheric pressure air plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, J. B.; Liu, H. Q.; Jie, Y. X.; Wei, X. C.; Hu, L. Q.

2018-01-01

A heterodyne interferometer operating at the frequency f = 890 GHz has been designed for measuring the electron density of atmospheric pressure air plasmas, it's density range is from 1015 to 3×1019 m-3 and the pressure range is from 1 Pa to 20 kPa. The system is configured as a Mach\

Charge dependence of the plasma travel length in atmospheric-pressure plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yambe, Kiyoyuki; Konda, Kohmei; Masuda, Seiya [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Niigata 950-2181 (Japan)

2016-06-15

Plasma plume is generated using a quartz tube, helium gas, and foil electrode by applying AC high voltage under the atmosphere. The plasma plume is released into the atmosphere from inside of the quartz tube and is seen as the continuous movement of the plasma bullet. The travel length of plasma bullet is defined from plasma energy and force due to electric field. The drift velocity of plasma bullet has the upper limit under atmospheric-pressure because the drift velocity is determined from the balance between electric field and resistive force due to collisions between plasma and air. The plasma plume charge depends on the drift velocity. Consequently, in the laminar flow of helium gas flow state, the travel length of the plasma plume logarithmically depends on the plasma plume charge which changes with both the electric field and the resistive force.

Charge dependence of the plasma travel length in atmospheric-pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yambe, Kiyoyuki; Konda, Kohmei; Masuda, Seiya

2016-01-01

Plasma plume is generated using a quartz tube, helium gas, and foil electrode by applying AC high voltage under the atmosphere. The plasma plume is released into the atmosphere from inside of the quartz tube and is seen as the continuous movement of the plasma bullet. The travel length of plasma bullet is defined from plasma energy and force due to electric field. The drift velocity of plasma bullet has the upper limit under atmospheric-pressure because the drift velocity is determined from the balance between electric field and resistive force due to collisions between plasma and air. The plasma plume charge depends on the drift velocity. Consequently, in the laminar flow of helium gas flow state, the travel length of the plasma plume logarithmically depends on the plasma plume charge which changes with both the electric field and the resistive force.

Measurement of viscosity of gaseous mixtures at atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, J. J.; Mall, G. H.; Chegini, H.

1986-01-01

Coefficients of viscosity of various types of gas mixtures, including simulated natural-gas samples, have been measured at atmospheric pressure and room temperature using a modified capillary tube method. Pressure drops across the straight capillary tube section of a thermal mass flowmeter were measured for small, well-defined, volume flow rates for the test gases and for standard air. In this configuration, the flowmeter provides the volumetric flow rates as well as a well-characterized capillary section for differential pressure measurements across it. The coefficients of viscosity of the test gases were calculated using the reported value of 185.6 micro P for the viscosity of air. The coefficients of viscosity for the test mixtures were also calculated using Wilke's approximation of the Chapman-Enskog (C-E) theory. The experimental and calculated values for binary mixtures are in agreement within the reported accuracy of Wilke's approximation of the C-E theory. However, the agreement for multicomponent mixtures is less satisfactory, possible because of the limitations of Wilkes's approximation of the classical dilute-gas state model.

A composite vacuum barrier for the LHC short straight section

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jenny, B.; Rohmig, P.; Uriarte, J.M.

1996-01-01

The lattice of the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will contain 384 Short Straight Section (SSS) units, one in every 53 m half-cell. The SSS is composed of a twin aperture high-field superconducting quadrupole and of two combined-function corrector magnets operating in pressurized helium at 1.9 K. The SSS cryostat contains also a barrier for sectorisation of the insulation vacuum. The vacuum barrier is mounted between the helium vessel and the vacuum enclosure. Its functions are to limit the extent of eventual helium leaks and to facilitate the leak detection and the pumping-down from atmospheric pressure. During installation of the LHC, the vacuum barrier permits independent testing of the half-cells, thus enabling higher installation rates. In parallel to a conventional barrier made out of austenitic stainless steel, a barrier of composite material was developed, taking advantage of the lower thermal conductivity of glass fibre reinforced epoxy resin, and with the aim of reducing costs for LHC. The thermo-mechanical design together with the conception and the moulding techniques used for the manufacture of the prototype are described. Bonding techniques for the leak tight stainless steel composite interfaces are presented and test results shown. Results on the mechanical performance and on the helium tests carried out on the prototype are given

Atmospheric pressure imaging mass spectrometry of drugs with various ablating lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moshkunov, K A; Alimpiev, S S; Pento, A V; Grechnikov, A A; Nikifirov, S M; Simanovsky, Ya O

2014-01-01

The atmospheric pressure mass spectrometric detection efficiency of organic species (tofisopam and verapamil) was measured by means of the laser ablation of dried solution drops containing known amount of the analyte. Ablated molecules were ionized by an atmospheric pressure laser plasma cell and then introduced in the TOF mass-spectrometer. The spot was formed by dripping 2 μl of solution on the stainless steel substrate and consequent drying. Then it was scanned by an intense ablating beam of various lasers (CO 2 , Nd:YAG and femtosecond fiber laser) until the spot was completely eroded during the non-stop MS-analysis of ablated material. The sensitivity was defined as the ratio of the total ion current integral of the relevant mass peaks to the amount of molecules in the spot. All the tested lasers are suitable for the ablation and subsequent MS-detection of organic species in dried solution spots given enough power deposition is provided. The measured sensitivity values reach 0.1 ions/fg of tested analytes

Separated Type Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Microjets Array for Maskless Microscale Etching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yichuan Dai

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Maskless etching approaches such as microdischarges and atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs have been studied recently. Nonetheless, a simple, long lifetime, and efficient maskless etching method is still a challenge. In this work, a separated type maskless etching system based on atmospheric pressure He/O2 plasma jet and microfabricated Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS nozzle have been developed with advantages of simple-structure, flexibility, and parallel processing capacity. The plasma was generated in the glass tube, forming the micron level plasma jet between the nozzle and the surface of polymer. The plasma microjet was capable of removing photoresist without masks since it contains oxygen reactive species verified by spectra measurement. The experimental results illustrated that different features of microholes etched by plasma microjet could be achieved by controlling the distance between the nozzle and the substrate, additive oxygen ratio, and etch time, the result of which is consistent with the analysis result of plasma spectra. In addition, a parallel etching process was also realized by plasma microjets array.

Gas Breakdown of Radio Frequency Glow Discharges in Helium at near Atmospheric Pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xinkun; Xu Jinzhou; Cui Tongfei; Guo Ying; Zhang Jing; Shi Jianjun

2013-01-01

A one-dimensional self-consistent fluid model was developed for radio frequency glow discharge in helium at near atmospheric pressure, and was employed to study the gas breakdown characteristics in terms of breakdown voltage. The effective secondary electron emission coefficient and the effective electric field for ions were demonstrated to be important for determining the breakdown voltage of radio frequency glow discharge at near atmospheric pressure. The constant of A was estimated to be 64±4 cm −1 Torr −1 , which was proportional to the first Townsend coefficient and could be employed to evaluate the gas breakdown voltage. The reduction in the breakdown voltage of radio frequency glow discharge with excitation frequency was studied and attributed to the electron trapping effect in the discharge gap

State of the art in medical applications using non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Hiromasa; Ishikawa, Kenji; Mizuno, Masaaki; Toyokuni, Shinya; Kajiyama, Hiroaki; Kikkawa, Fumitaka; Metelmann, Hans-Robert; Hori, Masaru

2017-12-01

Plasma medical science is a novel interdisciplinary field that combines studies on plasma science and medical science, with the anticipation that understanding the scientific principles governing plasma medical science will lead to innovations in the field. Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma has been used for medical treatments, such as for cancer, blood coagulation, and wound healing. The interactions that occur between plasma and cells/tissues have been analyzed extensively. Direct and indirect treatment of cells with plasma has broadened the applications of non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma in medicine. Examples of indirect treatment include plasma-assisted immune-therapy and plasma-activated medium. Controlling intracellular redox balance may be key in plasma cancer treatment. Animal studies are required to test the effectiveness and safety of these treatments for future clinical applications.

Infrared gas phase study on plasma-polymer interactions in high-current diffuse dielectric barrier discharge

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liu, Y.; Welzel, S.; Starostin, S. A.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; Engeln, R.; de Vries, H. W.

2017-01-01

A roll-to-roll high-current diffuse dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure was operated in air and Ar/N2/O2 gas mixtures. The exhaust gas from the discharge was studied using a high-resolution Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer in the range from 3000 to 750?cm-1 to unravel the

Electromagnetic Wave Attenuation in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Shu; Hu Xiwei; Liu Minghai; Luo Fang; Feng Zelong

2007-01-01

When an electromagnetic (EM) wave propagates in an atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) layer, its attenuation depends on the APP parameters such as the layer width, the electron density and its profile and collision frequency between electrons and neutrals. This paper proposes that a combined parameter-the product of the line average electron density n-bar and width d of the APP layer (i.e., the total number of electrons in a unit volume along the wave propagation path) can play a more explicit and decisive role in the wave attenuation than any of the above individual parameters does. The attenuation of the EM wave via the product of n-bar and d with various collision frequencies between electrons and neutrals is presented

Dielectric barrier discharge processing of aerospace materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, S J; Figgures, C C; Dixon, D G

2004-01-01

We report the use of atmospheric pressure, air based, dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) to treat materials commonly used in the aerospace industries. The material samples were processed using a test-bed of a conventional DBD configuration in which the sample formed one of the electrodes and was placed in close proximity to a ceramic electrode. The discharges generated a powerful, cold oxidizing environment which was able to remove organic contaminants, etch primer and paint layers, oxidize aluminium and roughen carbon fibre composites by the selective removal of resin

Atmospheric Pressure Indicator.

Science.gov (United States)

Salzsieder, John C.

1995-01-01

Discusses observable phenomena related to air pressure. Describes a simple, unobtrusive, semiquantitative device to monitor the changes in air pressure that are associated with altitude, using a soft-drink bottle and a balloon. (JRH)

Evaporative crystallization of salts from Electrodialysis concentrated brine at atmospheric and subatmospheric pressures

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dong; Du, Wei; Cheng, Penggao; Tang, Na; Wang, Xuekui

2018-02-01

A large amount of concentrated brine was produced as by-product during the process of the electrodialysis seawater desalination. In this study, the crystallization sequences of different salts from the brine through evaporative crystallization at both atmospheric and subatmospheric pressures were investigated in detail. The profile of the boiling temperature with density and the relationship between the boiling temperature and the pressure were recorded. The combination of Powder X-Ray Diffraction and the polarizing microscope was employed to identify the salts in the solid form. It can be inferred that NaCl crystallized out firstly and then MgSO4·6H2O and CaSO4 precipitate in order at both atmospheric and subatmospheric pressures, and it should be noticed that CaSO4 crystallized as anhydrate at 70°C and 90°C while as dihydrate at 50°C. At the end of all the experiments the precipitation rates of CaSO4 and NaCl have reached to more than 95% while MgSO4 only reached to about 60%.

High Pressure Atmospheric Sampling Inlet System for Venus or the Gas Giants, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Thorleaf Research, Inc. proposes to develop a miniaturized high pressure atmospheric sampling inlet system for sample acquisition in extreme planetary environments,...

Anode pattern formation in atmospheric pressure air glow discharges with water anode

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verreycken, T.; Bruggeman, P.J.; Leys, C.

2009-01-01

Pattern formation in the anode layer at a water electrode in atmospheric pressure glow discharges in air is studied. With increasing current a sequence of different anode spot structures occurs from a constricted homogeneous spot in the case of small currents to a pattern consisting of small

Thin-Layer Chromatography/Desorption Atmospheric Pressure Photoionization Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry of Lipids

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Rejšek, Jan; Vrkoslav, Vladimír; Vaikkinen, A.; Haapala, M.; Kauppila, T. J.; Kostiainen, R.; Cvačka, Josef

2016-01-01

Roč. 88, č. 24 (2016), s. 12279-12286 ISSN 0003-2700 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP206/12/0750 Institutional support: RVO:61388963 Keywords : desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization * thin-layer chromatography * lipids Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2016

Numerical solution of the model problem of CCRF-discharge at atmospheric pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheltukhin Viktor

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This work describes a 1D mathematical model of capacitive coupled RF discharge between symmetrical electrodes in argon at atmospheric pressure in a local approximation. Electrons, atomic and molecular ions, metastable atoms and argon dimmers as well as ground-state atoms are considered. A simplified diagram of argon excited states when two metastable and two resonance states are replaced with the uniform level. Such diagram is frequently used to simulate argon plasma due to efficient mixing of these layers at electron impacts. Velocity factors of electron impact processes were calculated using Boltzmann equation with a glance to electron-electron collisions. This work describes numerical algorithm of mathematical model implementation, which is based on finite-dimensional approximation of the problem using difference schemes together with iteration process. The software was developed to implement iterative processes using MatLab. Characteristics of atmospheric pressure capacitive coupled RF discharge at interelectrod distance 20 mm are calculated.

Blast from pressurized carbon dioxide released into a vented atmospheric chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, P. M.; Gaathaug, A. V.; Bjerketvedt, D.; Vaagsaether, K.

2018-03-01

This study describes the blast from pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) released from a high-pressure reservoir into an openly vented atmospheric chamber. Small-scale experiments with pure vapor and liquid/vapor mixtures were conducted and compared with simulations. A motivation was to investigate the effects of vent size and liquid content on the peak overpressure and impulse response in the atmospheric chamber. The comparison of vapor-phase CO2 test results with simulations showed good agreement. This numerical code described single-phase gas dynamics inside a closed chamber, but did not model any phase transitions. Hence, the simulations described a vapor-only test into an unvented chamber. Nevertheless, the simulations reproduced the incident shock wave, the shock reflections, and the jet release inside the atmospheric chamber. The rapid phase transition did not contribute to the initial shock strength in the current test geometry. The evaporation rate was too low to contribute to the measured peak overpressure that was in the range of 15-20 kPa. The simulation results produced a calculated peak overpressure of 12 kPa. The liquid tests showed a significantly higher impulse compared to tests with pure vapor. Reducing the vent opening from 0.1 to 0.01 m2 resulted in a slightly higher impulse calculated at 100 ms. The influence of the vent area on the calculated impulse was significant in the vapor-phase tests, but not so clear in the liquid/vapor mixture tests.

Marangoni flows induced by atmospheric-pressure plasma jets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berendsen, C W J; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Kroesen, G M W; Darhuber, A A

2015-01-01

We studied the interaction of atmospheric-pressure plasma jets of Ar or air with liquid films of an aliphatic hydrocarbon on moving solid substrates. The hydrodynamic jet-liquid interaction induces a track of lower film thickness. The chemical plasma-surface interaction oxidizes the liquid, leading to a local increase of the surface tension and a self-organized redistribution of the liquid film. We developed a numerical model that qualitatively reproduces the formation, instability and coarsening of the flow patterns observed in the experiments. Monitoring the liquid flow has potential as an in-situ, spatially and temporally resolved, diagnostic tool for the plasma-liquid surface interaction. (paper)

Electrode erosion in arc discharges at atmospheric pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Hardy, T. L.

1985-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed in an effort to measure and increase lifetime of electrodes in an arcjet thruster. The electrode erosion of various anode and cathode materials was measured after tests in an atmospheric pressure nitrogen arc discharge at powers less than 1 kW. A free-burning arc configuration and a constricted arc configuration were used to test the materials. Lanthanum hexboride and thoriated tungsten had low cathode erosion rates while thoriated tungsten and pure tungsten had the lowest anode erosion rates of the materials tested. Anode cooling, reverse gas flow, an external magnetic fields were all found to reduce electrode mass loss.

Double streamer phenomena in atmospheric pressure low frequency corona plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dan Bee; Jung, H.; Gweon, B.; Choe, Wonho

2010-01-01

Time-resolved images of an atmospheric pressure corona discharge, generated at 50 kHz in a single pin electrode source, show unique positive and negative corona discharge features: a streamer for the positive period and a glow for the negative period. However, unlike in previous reports of dc pulse and low frequency corona discharges, multistreamers were observed at the initial time stage of the positive corona. A possible physical mechanism for the multistreamers is suggested.

On atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium plasma jets and plasma bullets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, X; Laroussi, M; Puech, V

2012-01-01

Atmospheric-pressure non-equilibrium plasma jets (APNP-Js), which generate plasma in open space rather than in a confined discharge gap, have recently been a topic of great interest. In this paper, the development of APNP-Js will be reviewed. Firstly, the APNP-Js are grouped based on the type of gas used to ignite them and their characteristics are discussed in detail. Secondly, one of the most interesting phenomena of APNP-Js, the ‘plasma bullet’, is discussed and its behavior described. Thirdly, the very recent developments on the behavior of plasma jets when launched in a controlled environment and pressure are also introduced. This is followed by a discussion on the interaction between plasma jets. Finally, perspectives on APNP-J research are presented. (paper)

Hydrogen discharges operating at atmospheric pressure in a semiconductor gas discharge system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aktas, K; Acar, S; Salamov, B G [Physics Department, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Gazi University, 06500 Ankara (Turkey)

2011-08-15

Analyses of physical processes which initiate electrical breakdown and spatial stabilization of current and control it with a photosensitive cathode in a semiconductor gas discharge system (SGDS) are carried out in a wide pressure range up to atmospheric pressure p, interelectrode distance d and diameter D of the electrode areas of the semiconductor cathode. The study compares the breakdown and stability curves of the gas discharge in the planar SGDS where the discharge gap is filled with hydrogen and air in two cases. The impact of the ionizing component of the discharge plasma on the control of the stable operation of the planar SGDS is also investigated at atmospheric pressure. The loss of stability is primarily due to modification of the semiconductor-cathode properties on the interaction with low-energy hydrogen ions and the formation of a space charge of positive ions in the discharge gap which changes the discharge from Townsend to glow type. The experimental results show that the discharge current in H{sub 2} is more stable than in air. The breakdown voltages are measured for H{sub 2} and air with parallel-plane electrodes, for pressures between 28 and 760 Torr. The effective secondary electron emission (SEE) coefficient is then determined from the breakdown voltage results and compared with the experimental results. The influence of the SEE coefficient is stated in terms of the differences between the experimental breakdown law.

Sulphation of oil shale ash under atmospheric and pressurized combustion conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuelaots, I.; Yrjas, P.; Hupa, M.; Ots, A.

1995-01-01

One of the main problems in conventional combustion boilers firing pulverized oil shale is the corrosion and fouling of heating surfaces, which is caused by sulphur compounds. Another major problem, from the environmental point of view, are the high SO 2 emissions. Consequently, the amount of sulphur in flue gases must be reduced. One alternative to lower the SO 2 , concentration is the use of new technologies, such as pressurized fluidized bed combustion (PFBC). In FBC processes, the sulphur components are usually removed by the addition of limestone (CaCO 3 ) or dolomite (CaCO 3 x MgCO 3 ) into the bed. The calcium in these absorbents react with SO 2 , producing solid CaSO 4 . However, when burning oil shale, there would be no need to add limestone or dolomite into the bed, due to the initially high limestone content in the fuel (molar ratio Ca/S =10). The capture of sulphur by oil shale ashes has been studied using a pressurized thermogravimetric apparatus (PTGA). The chosen experimental conditions were typical for atmospheric and pressurized fluidized bed combustion. Four different materials were tested - one cyclone ash from an Estonian oil shale boiler, two size fractions of Estonian oil shale and, one fraction of Israeli oil shale. The cyclone ash was found to be the poorest sulphur absorbent. In general, the results from the sulphur capture experiments under both atmospheric and pressurized fluidized bed conditions showed that the oil shale can capture not only its own sulphur but also significant amounts of additional sulphur from another fuel if the fuels are mixed together. (author)

High pressure deuterium-tritium gas target vessels for muon-catalyzed fusion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caffrey, A.J.; Spaletta, H.W.; Ware, A.G.; Zabriskie, J.M.; Hardwick, D.A.; Maltrud, H.R.; Paciotti, M.A.

1989-01-01

In experimental studies of muon-catalyzed fusion, the density of the hydrogen gas mixture is an important parameter. Catalysis of up to 150 fusions per muon has been observed in deuterium-tritium gas mixtures at liquid hydrogen density; at room temperature, such densities require a target gas pressure of the order of 1000 atmospheres (100 MPa, 15,000 psi). We report here the design considerations for hydrogen gas target vessels for muon-catalyzed fusion experiments that operate at 1000 and 10,000 atmospheres. The 1000 atmosphere high pressure target vessels are fabricated of Type A-286 stainless steel and lined with oxygen-free, high-conductivity (OFHC) copper to provide a barrier to hydrogen permeation of the stainless steel. The 10,000 atmosphere ultrahigh pressure target vessels are made from 18Ni (200 grade) maraging steel and are lined with OFHC copper, again to prevent hydrogen permeation of the steel. In addition to target design features, operating requirements, fabrication procedures, and secondary containment are discussed. 13 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Pressure tuning of anisotropy barrier in Fe8 SMMs probed using high frequency EPR

Science.gov (United States)

Thirunavukkuarasu, Komalavalli; Beedle, Christopher; Tozer, Stanley; Hill, Stephen

2014-03-01

Single-molecule magnets (SMMs) are spin systems with large spin ground state where quantum phenomena such as tunneling of magnetization via a considerable anisotropy barrier manifest. One such SMM that has been extensively studied is [Fe8O2(OH)12(tacn)6]Br8.9H2O, also known as Fe8, with a giant spin ground state of S=10. The eight Fe atoms bridged by the ligands form a butterfly structure where six Fe atoms have spins up and two spins down in the simplest model. This structure in fact gives rise to geometrical spin frustration effects within the cluster. By varying the interaction between the spins, manipulation of quantum tunneling in SMMs may be achieved. Typically, the manipulation of spin interactions is realized using chemical methods. As an alternative approach, we employ high pressure to induce changes in the ligand-field environment of the Fe atoms. In this presentation, the pressure-dependent changes in the anisotropy barrier in single crystal Fe8 SMMs investigated by high frequency electron paramagnetic resonance measurements will be discussed.

Driven Motion and Instability of an Atmospheric Pressure Arc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Max Karasik

1999-01-01

Atmospheric pressure arcs are used extensively in applications such as welding and metallurgy. However, comparatively little is known of the physics of such arcs in external magnetic fields and the mechanisms of the instabilities present. In order to address questions of equilibrium and stability of such arcs, an experimental arc furnace is constructed and operated in air with graphite cathode and steel anode at currents 100-250 A. The arc is diagnosed with a gated intensified camera and a collimated photodiode array, as well as fast voltage and current probes

Study of a dual frequency atmospheric pressure corona plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dan Bee; Moon, S. Y.; Jung, H.; Gweon, B.; Choe, Wonho

2010-01-01

Radio frequency mixing of 2 and 13.56 MHz was investigated by performing experimental measurements on the atmospheric pressure corona plasma. As a result of the dual frequency, length, current density, and electron excitation temperature of the plasma were increased, while the gas temperature was maintained at roughly the same level when compared to the respective single frequency plasmas. Moreover, observation of time-resolved images revealed that the dual frequency plasma has a discharge mode of 2 MHz positive streamer, 2 MHz negative glow, and 13.56 MHz continuous glow.

Driven Motion and Instability of an Atmospheric Pressure Arc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Max Karasik

1999-12-01

Atmospheric pressure arcs are used extensively in applications such as welding and metallurgy. However, comparatively little is known of the physics of such arcs in external magnetic fields and the mechanisms of the instabilities present. In order to address questions of equilibrium and stability of such arcs, an experimental arc furnace is constructed and operated in air with graphite cathode and steel anode at currents 100-250 A. The arc is diagnosed with a gated intensified camera and a collimated photodiode array, as well as fast voltage and current probes.

Electron current extraction from radio frequency excited micro-dielectric barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jun-Chieh; Kushner, Mark J.; Leoni, Napoleon; Birecki, Henryk; Gila, Omer

2013-01-01

Micro dielectric barrier discharges (mDBDs) consist of micro-plasma devices (10–100 μm diameter) in which the electrodes are fully or partially covered by dielectrics, and often operate at atmospheric pressure driven with radio frequency (rf) waveforms. In certain applications, it may be desirable to extract electron current out of the mDBD plasma, which necessitates a third electrode. As a result, the physical structure of the m-DBD and the electron emitting properties of its materials are important to its operation. In this paper, results from a two-dimensional computer simulation of current extraction from mDBDs sustained in atmospheric pressure N 2 will be discussed. The mDBDs are sandwich structures with an opening of tens-of-microns excited with rf voltage waveforms of up to 25 MHz. Following avalanche by electron impact ionization in the mDBD cavity, the plasma can be expelled from the cavity towards the extraction electrode during the part of the rf cycle when the extraction electrode appears anodic. The electron current extraction can be enhanced by biasing this electrode. The charge collection can be controlled by choice of rf frequency, rf driving voltage, and permittivity of the dielectric barrier.

Facilitating breakdown in noble gases at near-atmospheric pressure using antennas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sobota, A; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Haverlag, M [Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Applied Physics, Postbus 513, 5600MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Gendre, M F; Manders, F, E-mail: a.sobota@tue.nl [Philips Lighting, Mathildelaan 1, 5600JM Eindhoven (Netherlands)

2011-04-20

Electrical breakdown in near-atmospheric pressure noble gases requires voltages that are quite high, which is undesirable for a large number of possible applications. Metallic structures (antennas) were used on the outer side of the lamp burner to enhance the electric field locally while keeping the same potential difference across the electrodes. Optical and electrical measurements were performed in an argon or xenon atmosphere at 0.3 or 0.7 bar, with 4 or 7 mm between the electrode tips. We used rod-shaped tungsten electrodes of 0.6 mm in diameter. We found that both active and passive antennas facilitate breakdown, and we demonstrated the differences between the two types and their effects on the breakdown process.

Facilitating breakdown in noble gases at near-atmospheric pressure using antennas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobota, A; Van Veldhuizen, E M; Haverlag, M; Gendre, M F; Manders, F

2011-01-01

Electrical breakdown in near-atmospheric pressure noble gases requires voltages that are quite high, which is undesirable for a large number of possible applications. Metallic structures (antennas) were used on the outer side of the lamp burner to enhance the electric field locally while keeping the same potential difference across the electrodes. Optical and electrical measurements were performed in an argon or xenon atmosphere at 0.3 or 0.7 bar, with 4 or 7 mm between the electrode tips. We used rod-shaped tungsten electrodes of 0.6 mm in diameter. We found that both active and passive antennas facilitate breakdown, and we demonstrated the differences between the two types and their effects on the breakdown process.

Dissecting Low Atmospheric Pressure Stress: Transcriptome Responses to the Components of Hypobaria in Arabidopsis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Mingqi; Callaham, Jordan B; Reyes, Matthew; Stasiak, Michael; Riva, Alberto; Zupanska, Agata K; Dixon, Mike A; Paul, Anna-Lisa; Ferl, Robert J

2017-01-01

Controlled hypobaria presents biology with an environment that is never encountered in terrestrial ecology, yet the apparent components of hypobaria are stresses typical of terrestrial ecosystems. High altitude, for example, presents terrestrial hypobaria always with hypoxia as a component stress, since the relative partial pressure of O 2 is constant in the atmosphere. Laboratory-controlled hypobaria, however, allows the dissection of pressure effects away from the effects typically associated with altitude, in particular hypoxia, as the partial pressure of O 2 can be varied. In this study, whole transcriptomes of plants grown in ambient (97 kPa/pO 2 = 21 kPa) atmospheric conditions were compared to those of plants transferred to five different atmospheres of varying pressure and oxygen composition for 24 h: 50 kPa/pO 2 = 10 kPa, 25 kPa/pO 2 = 5 kPa, 50 kPa/pO 2 = 21 kPa, 25 kPa/pO 2 = 21 kPa, or 97 kPa/pO 2 = 5 kPa. The plants exposed to these environments were 10 day old Arabidopsis seedlings grown vertically on hydrated nutrient plates. In addition, 5 day old plants were also exposed for 24 h to the 50 kPa and ambient environments to evaluate age-dependent responses. The gene expression profiles from roots and shoots showed that the hypobaric response contained more complex gene regulation than simple hypoxia, and that adding back oxygen to normoxic conditions did not completely alleviate gene expression changes in hypobaric responses.

Kinetics and dynamics of nanosecond streamer discharge in atmospheric-pressure gas bubble suspended in distilled water under saturated vapor pressure conditions

KAUST Repository

Sharma, Ashish; Levko, Dmitry; Raja, Laxminarayan L; Cha, Min

2016-01-01

We perform computational studies of nanosecond streamer discharges generated in helium bubbles immersed in distilled water under atmospheric pressure conditions. The model takes into account the presence of water vapor in the gas bubble

High density high performance plasma with internal diffusion barrier in Large Helical Device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, R.; Kobayashi, M.; Miyazawa, J.

2008-10-01

A attractive high density plasma operational regime, namely an internal diffusion barrier (IDB), has been discovered in the intrinsic helical divertor configuration on the Large Helical Device (LHD). The IDB which enables core plasma to access a high density/high pressure regime has been developed. It is revealed that the IDB is reproducibly formed by pellet fueling in the magnetic configurations shifted outward in major radius. Attainable central plasma density exceeds 1x10 21 m -3 . Central pressure reaches 1.5 times atmospheric pressure and the central β value becomes fairly high even at high magnetic field, i.e. β(0)=5.5% at B t =2.57 T. (author)

Collaborative Research: Atmospheric Pressure Microplasma Chemistry-Photon Synergies Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graves, David [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2017-02-07

Combining the effects of low temperature, atmospheric pressure microplasmas and microplasma photon sources shows greatly expanded range of applications of each of them. The plasma sources create active chemical species and these can be activated further by addition of photons and associated photochemistry. There are many ways to combine the effects of plasma chemistry and photochemistry, especially if there are multiple phases present. The project combines construction of appropriate test experimental systems, various spectroscopic diagnostics and mathematical modeling.

Efficacy of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma as an Antibacterial Agent Against Enterococcus Faecalis in Vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao Yingguang; Yang Ping; Lu Xinpei; Xiong Zilan; Ye Tao; Xiong Qing; Sun Ziyong

2011-01-01

Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) is a microorganism that can survive extreme challenges in obturated root canals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma plume against E. faecalis in vitro. A non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet device which could generate a cold plasma plume carrying a peak current of 300 mA was used. The antibacterial efficacy of this device against E. faecalis and its biofilm under different conditions was detected. The antibacterial efficacy of the plasma against E. faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was also evaluated. After plasma treatment, the average diameter of inhibition zone on S. aureus and E. faecalis was 2.62±0.26 cm and 1.06±0.30 cm, respectively (P < 0.05). The diameter was increased with prolongation of the treatment duration. The diameters of inhibition zone of the sealed Petri dishes were larger than those of the uncovered Petri dishes. There was significant difference in colony-forming units between plasma group and control group on E. faecalis biofilm (P < 0.01). The transmission electron microscopy revealed that the ultrastructural changes cytoderm of E. faecalis were observed after treatment for 2 min. It is concluded that the non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma could serve as an effective adjunct to standard endodontic microbial treatment.

The measurement of argon metastable atoms in the barrier discharge plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Ghildina, Anna R.; Mikheyev, Pavel Anatolyevich; Chernyshov, Aleksandr Konstantinovich; Lunev, Nikolai Nikolaevich; Azyazov, Valeriy Nikolaevich

2018-04-01

The mandatory condition for efficient operation of an optically-pumped all-rare-gas laser (OPRGL) is the presence of rare gas metastable atoms in the discharge plasma with number density of the order of 1012-1013 cm-3. This requirement mainly depends on the choice of a discharge system. In this study the number density values of argon metastable atoms were obtained in the condition of the dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) at an atmospheric pressure.

Influence of atmospheric pressure low-temperature plasma treatment on the shear bond strength between zirconia and resin cement.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Yuki; Okawa, Takahisa; Fukumoto, Takahiro; Tsurumi, Akiko; Tatsuta, Mitsuhiro; Fujii, Takamasa; Tanaka, Junko; Tanaka, Masahiro

2016-10-01

Zirconia exhibits excellent strength and high biocompatibility in technological applications and it is has therefore been investigated for clinical applications and research. Before setting prostheses, a crown prosthesis inner surface is sandblasted with alumina to remove contaminants and form small cavities. This alumina sandblasting causes stress-induced phase transition of zirconia. Atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma has been applied in the dental industry, particularly for adhesives, as a surface treatment to activate the surface energy and remove contaminants. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment on the shear bond strength between zirconia and adhesive resin cement. The surface treatment method was classified into three groups: untreated (Cont group), alumina sandblast treatment (Sb group), and atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment (Ps group). Adhesive resin cement was applied to stainless steel and bonded to zirconia. Shear adhesion tests were performed after complete hardening of the cement. Multiple comparisons were performed using a one-way analysis of variance and the Bonferroni method. X-ray diffractometry was used to examine the change in zirconia crystal structure. Statistically significant differences were noted between the control and Sb groups and between the control and Ps groups. In contrast, no statistically significant differences were noted for the Ps and Sb bond strength. Atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment did not affect the zirconia crystal structure. Atmospheric-pressure low-temperature plasma treatment improves the bonding strength of adhesive resin cement as effectively as alumina sandblasting, and does not alter the zirconia crystal structure. Copyright © 2016 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparative study of APLI and APCI in IMS at atmospheric pressure to reveal and explain peak broadening effects by the use of APLI.

Science.gov (United States)

Ihlenborg, Marvin; Raupers, Björn; Gunzer, Frank; Grotemeyer, Jürgen

2015-11-21

The details of the ionization mechanism in atmospheric pressure are still not completely known. In order to obtain further insight into the occurring processes in atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI) a comparative study of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) and APLI is presented in this paper. This study is carried out using similar experimental condition at atmospheric pressure employing a commercial ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). Two different peak broadening mechanisms can then be assigned, one related to a range of different species generated and detected, and furthermore for the first time a power broadening effect on the signals can be identified.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION: Contrasting characteristics of sub-microsecond pulsed atmospheric air and atmospheric pressure helium-oxygen glow discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, J. L.; Liu, D. X.; Iza, F.; Rong, M. Z.; Kong, M. G.

2010-01-01

Glow discharges in air are often considered to be the ultimate low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasmas for numerous chamber-free applications. This is due to the ubiquitous presence of air and the perceived abundance of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in air plasmas. In this paper, sub-microsecond pulsed atmospheric air plasmas are shown to produce a low concentration of excited oxygen atoms but an abundance of excited nitrogen species, UV photons and ozone molecules. This contrasts sharply with the efficient production of excited oxygen atoms in comparable helium-oxygen discharges. Relevant reaction chemistry analysed with a global model suggests that collisional excitation of O2 by helium metastables is significantly more efficient than electron dissociative excitation of O2, electron excitation of O and ion-ion recombination. These results suggest different practical uses of the two oxygen-containing atmospheric discharges, with air plasmas being well suited for nitrogen and UV based chemistry and He-O2 plasmas for excited atomic oxygen based chemistry.

ANNEALING OF POLYCRYSTALLINE THIN FILM SILICON SOLAR CELLS IN WATER VAPOUR AT SUB-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Pikna

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Thin film polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si solar cells were annealed in water vapour at pressures below atmospheric pressure. PN junction of the sample was contacted by measuring probes directly in the pressure chamber filled with steam during passivation. Suns-VOC method and a Lock-in detector were used to monitor an effect of water vapour to VOC of the solar cell during whole passivation process (in-situ. Tested temperature of the sample (55°C – 110°C was constant during the procedure. Open-circuit voltage of a solar cell at these temperatures is lower than at room temperature. Nevertheless, voltage response of the solar cell to the light flash used during Suns-VOC measurements was good observable. Temperature dependences for multicrystalline wafer-based and polycrystalline thin film solar cells were measured and compared. While no significant improvement of thin film poly-Si solar cell parameters by annealing in water vapour at under-atmospheric pressures was observed up to now, in-situ observation proved required sensitivity to changing VOC at elevated temperatures during the process.

Characterization of Carbon Nanotubes Deposited in Microwave Torch at Atmospheric Pressure

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zajíčková, L.; Eliáš, M.; Jašek, O.; Kučerová, Z.; Synek, P.; Matějková, Jiřina; Kadlečíková, M.; Klementová, Mariana; Buršík, Jiří; Vojačková, A.

2007-01-01

Roč. 4, Suppl. 1 (2007), S245-S249 ISSN 1612-8850 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA202/05/0607 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511; CEZ:AV0Z40320502; CEZ:AV0Z20410507 Keywords : carbon nanotubes * microwave torch * atmospheric pressure * scanning electron microscopy * Raman spectroscopy Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.132, year: 2007

The effects of extra-low-frequency atmospheric pressure oscillations on human mental activity

Science.gov (United States)

Delyukov, A. A.; Didyk, L.

Slight atmospheric pressure oscillations (APO) in the extra-low-frequency range below 0.1 Hz, which frequently occur naturally, can influence human mental activity. This phenomenon has been observed in experiments with a group of 12 healthy volunteers exposed to experimentally created APO with amplitudes 30-50 Pa in the frequency band 0.011-0.17 Hz. Exposure of the subjects to APO for 15-30 min caused significant changes in attention and short-term memory functions, performance rate, and mental processing flexibility. The character of the response depended on the APO frequency and coherence. Periodic APO promoted purposeful mental activity, accompanied by an increase in breath-holding duration and a slower heart rate. On the other hand, quasi-chaotic APO, similar to the natural perturbations of atmospheric pressure, disrupted mental activity. These observations suggest that APO could be partly responsible for meteorosensitivity in humans.

An improved film evaporation correlation for saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Shahzada, Muhammad Wakil; Ng, Kim Choon; Thu, Kyaw; Myat, Aung; Gee, Chun Won

2011-01-01

This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evaporator working with saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures. The experiments are conducted at different salinity levels ranging from 15000 to 90000 ppm, and the pressures were maintained between 0.92 to 2.81 kPa (corresponds to saturation temperatures of 5.9 – 23 0C). The effect of salinity, saturation pressures and chilled water temperatures on the heat transfer coefficient are accounted in the modified film evaporation correlations. The results are fitted to the Han & Fletcher's and Chun & Seban's falling-film correlations which are used in desalination industry. We modify the said correlations by adding salinity and saturation temperature corrections with respective indices to give a better agreement to our measured data.

Self-sustained carbon monoxide oxidation oscillations on size-selected platinum nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Robert; Andersen, Thomas; Nierhoff, Anders Ulrik Fregerslev

2013-01-01

High-quality mass spectrometry data of the oscillatory behavior of CO oxidation on SiO2 supported Pt-nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure have been acquired as a function of pressure, coverage, gas composition and nanoparticle size. The oscillations are self-sustained for several days at constant......, temperature, pressure and CO/O2 ratio. The frequency of the oscillations is very well defined and increases over time. The oscillation frequency is furthermore strongly temperature dependent with increasing temperature resulting in increasing frequency. A plausible mechanism for the oscillations is proposed...

Characterization of a steam plasma jet at atmospheric pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ni Guohua; Zhao Peng; Cheng Cheng; Song Ye; Meng Yuedong; Toyoda, Hirotaka

2012-01-01

An atmospheric steam plasma jet generated by an original dc water plasma torch is investigated using electrical and spectroscopic techniques. Because it directly uses the water used for cooling electrodes as the plasma-forming gas, the water plasma torch has high thermal efficiency and a compact structure. The operational features of the water plasma torch and the generation of the steam plasma jet are analyzed based on the temporal evolution of voltage, current and steam pressure in the arc chamber. The influence of the output characteristics of the power source, the fluctuation of the arc and current intensity on the unsteadiness of the steam plasma jet is studied. The restrike mode is identified as the fluctuation characteristic of the steam arc, which contributes significantly to the instabilities of the steam plasma jet. In addition, the emission spectroscopic technique is employed to diagnose the steam plasma. The axial distributions of plasma parameters in the steam plasma jet, such as gas temperature, excitation temperature and electron number density, are determined by the diatomic molecule OH fitting method, Boltzmann slope method and H β Stark broadening, respectively. The steam plasma jet at atmospheric pressure is found to be close to the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) state by comparing the measured electron density with the threshold value of electron density for the LTE state. Moreover, based on the assumption of LTE, the axial distributions of reactive species in the steam plasma jet are estimated, which indicates that the steam plasma has high chemical activity.

High-power laser-metal interactions in pressurized gaseous atmospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bitelli, G. [ENEA, Centro Ricerche Frascati, Rome (Italy). Dip. Innovazione; Lugomer, S.; Furic, K.; Ivanda, M. [Ruder Boskovic Institute, Zagreb (Croatia); Stipancic, M. [Electrotechnical faculty, Osijek (Croatia); Stubicar, M. [Faculty of natural sciences and mathematics, Zagreb (Croatia); Gamulin, O. [School of medicine, Univ. of Zagreb, Zagreb (Croatia)

1996-09-01

Metal surfaces were irradiated in pressurized gaseous atmospheres by a CO{sub 2} laser beam. The gaseous pressures ranged from 2 atm to 6 atm, the energy density of the light beam was about 20-50 J/cm{sup 2} with a power density {approx} 10{sup 9} W/cm{sup 2} and a pulse duration p 150 ns. In the above conditions some new effects were observed. The laser-material interaction occurred in a highly absorptive plasma regime, meaning that the metal surface was effectively screened from the beam. The interaction ended either with plasma adiabatic expansion, in the case of Mo (in O{sub 2}), Te (in N{sub 2}) and T{sub i} (in N{sub 2}), or with plasma explosion, in the case of T{sub i} (in O{sub 2}). The metal surface properties were studied by means of optical analysis, microhardness tests, X-ray diffraction and Raman backscattering.

Surface modification of polyester synthetic leather with tetramethylsilane by atmospheric pressure plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kan, C.W., E-mail: tccwk@polyu.edu.hk [Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Kwong, C.H. [Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Ng, S.P. [Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong)

2015-08-15

Highlights: • Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment improved surface performance of polyester synthetic leather with tetramethylsilane. • XPS and FTIR confirmed the deposition of organosilanes on the sample's surface. • Contact angle increases to 138° after plasma treatment. - Abstract: Much works have been done on synthetic materials but scarcely on synthetic leather owing to its surface structures in terms of porosity and roughness. This paper examines the use of atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) treatment for improving the surface performance of polyester synthetic leather by use of a precursor, tetramethylsilane (TMS). Plasma deposition is regarded as an effective, simple and single-step method with low pollution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirm the deposition of organosilanes on the sample's surface. The results showed that under a particular combination of treatment parameters, a hydrophobic surface was achieved on the APP treated sample with sessile drop static contact angle of 138°. The hydrophobic surface is stable without hydrophilic recovery 30 days after plasma treatment.

Surface modification of polyester synthetic leather with tetramethylsilane by atmospheric pressure plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kan, C.W.; Kwong, C.H.; Ng, S.P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment improved surface performance of polyester synthetic leather with tetramethylsilane. • XPS and FTIR confirmed the deposition of organosilanes on the sample's surface. • Contact angle increases to 138° after plasma treatment. - Abstract: Much works have been done on synthetic materials but scarcely on synthetic leather owing to its surface structures in terms of porosity and roughness. This paper examines the use of atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) treatment for improving the surface performance of polyester synthetic leather by use of a precursor, tetramethylsilane (TMS). Plasma deposition is regarded as an effective, simple and single-step method with low pollution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirm the deposition of organosilanes on the sample's surface. The results showed that under a particular combination of treatment parameters, a hydrophobic surface was achieved on the APP treated sample with sessile drop static contact angle of 138°. The hydrophobic surface is stable without hydrophilic recovery 30 days after plasma treatment

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Cleaning of Contaminated Surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hicks, Robert F.; Selwyn, Gary S.

2001-01-01

Project was to develop a low-cost, environmentally benign technology for the decontamination and decommissioning of transuranic waste. With the invention of the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet the goal was achieved. This device selectively etches heavy metals from surfaces, rendering objects radiation free and suitable for decommissioning. The volatile reaction products are captured on filters, which yields a tremendous reduction in the volume of the waste. Studies on tantalum, a surrogate material for plutonium, have shown that etch rate of 6.0 microns per minute can be achieved under mild conditions. Over the past three years, we have made numerous improvements in the design of the plasma jet. It may now be operated for hundreds of hours and not undergo any degradation in performance. Furthermore, small compact units have been developed, which are easily deployed in the field

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Cleaning of Contaminated Surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert F. Hicks; Gary S. Selwyn

2001-01-09

Project was to develop a low-cost, environmentally benign technology for the decontamination and decommissioning of transuranic waste. With the invention of the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet the goal was achieved. This device selectively etches heavy metals from surfaces, rendering objects radiation free and suitable for decommissioning. The volatile reaction products are captured on filters, which yields a tremendous reduction in the volume of the waste. Studies on tantalum, a surrogate material for plutonium, have shown that etch rate of 6.0 microns per minute can be achieved under mild conditions. Over the past three years, we have made numerous improvements in the design of the plasma jet. It may now be operated for hundreds of hours and not undergo any degradation in performance. Furthermore, small compact units have been developed, which are easily deployed in the field.

Erratum to 'Surface Modification of PBO Fibers for Composites by Coaxial Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge (PLA-PLA)'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

There is a mistake in the funding number (National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 10875146)) of article Surface Modification of PBO Fibers for Composites by Coaxial Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge (PLA-PLA), written by HU Qianqian, XU Jinzhou, ZHOU Zhenxing, ZHANG Jing, published in Plasma Science and Technology, 2013, Vol. 15, Issue 5, page number 429, it should be corrected as National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11075033). (erratum)

Hydrogen termination of CVD diamond films by high-temperature annealing at atmospheric pressure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Seshan, V.; Ullien, D.; Castellanos-Gomez, A.; Sachdeva, S.; Murthy, D.H.K.; Savenije, T.J.; Ahmad, H.A.; Nunney, T.S.; Janssens, S.D.; Haenen, K.; Nesládek, M.; Van der Zant, H.S.J.; Sudhölter, E.J.R.; De Smet, L.C.P.M.

2013-01-01

A high-temperature procedure to hydrogenate diamond films using molecular hydrogen at atmospheric pressure was explored. Undoped and doped chemical vapour deposited (CVD) polycrystalline diamond films were treated according to our annealing method using a H2 gas flow down to ?50 ml/min (STP) at

Quasi-periodic fluctuations of atmospheric pressure and cosmic rays observed in the stratosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kodama, Masahiro; Abe, Toshiaki; Sakai, Takasuke; Kato, Masato; Kogami, Shinichi.

1976-01-01

Quasi-periodicities of barometric pressure and cosmic ray intensity, with 5.5-minute period and one hour persistency, have been observed by means of a high-precision barometer and a large plastic scintillation counter in a balloon at an altitude of --18 km over the Pacific Ocean. From characteristics of such short period fluctuations, it is suggested that the observed pressure fluctuation may possibly be caused by the internal atmospheric gravity wave whose amplitude and wave length are --30 m and --30 km respectively. (auth.)

Comprehensive wind correction for a Rayleigh Doppler lidar from atmospheric temperature and pressure influences and Mie contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shangguan Ming-Jia; Xia Hai-Yun; Dou Xian-Kang; Wang Chong; Qiu Jia-Wei; Zhang Yun-Peng; Shu Zhi-Feng; Xue Xiang-Hui

2015-01-01

A correction considering the effects of atmospheric temperature, pressure, and Mie contamination must be performed for wind retrieval from a Rayleigh Doppler lidar (RDL), since the so-called Rayleigh response is directly related to the convolution of the optical transmission of the frequency discriminator and the Rayleigh–Brillouin spectrum of the molecular backscattering. Thus, real-time and on-site profiles of atmospheric pressure, temperature, and aerosols should be provided as inputs to the wind retrieval. Firstly, temperature profiles under 35 km and above the altitude are retrieved, respectively, from a high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) and a Rayleigh integration lidar (RIL) incorporating to the RDL. Secondly, the pressure profile is taken from the European Center for Medium range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) analysis, while radiosonde data are not available. Thirdly, the Klett–Fernald algorithms are adopted to estimate the Mie and Rayleigh components in the atmospheric backscattering. After that, the backscattering ratio is finally determined in a nonlinear fitting of the transmission of the atmospheric backscattering through the Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) to a proposed model. In the validation experiments, wind profiles from the lidar show good agreement with the radiosonde in the overlapping altitude. Finally, a continuous wind observation shows the stability of the correction scheme. (paper)

An improved film evaporation correlation for saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures

KAUST Repository

Shahzada, Muhammad Wakil

2011-10-03

This paper presents an investigation of heat transfer correlation in a falling-film evaporator working with saline water at sub-atmospheric pressures. The experiments are conducted at different salinity levels ranging from 15000 to 90000 ppm, and the pressures were maintained between 0.92 to 2.81 kPa (corresponds to saturation temperatures of 5.9 – 23 0C). The effect of salinity, saturation pressures and chilled water temperatures on the heat transfer coefficient are accounted in the modified film evaporation correlations. The results are fitted to the Han & Fletcher\\'s and Chun & Seban\\'s falling-film correlations which are used in desalination industry. We modify the said correlations by adding salinity and saturation temperature corrections with respective indices to give a better agreement to our measured data.

Ozone production by pulsed dielectric barrier discharges in air at atmospheric pressure; Efficacite de production d'ozone par decharge electrique pulsee sur barriere isolante dans l'air a pression atmospherique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Odic, E.; Karimi, Ch. [Supelec, Service Electrotechnique et Electronique Industrielle, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Dhainaut, M.; Goldman, A.; Goldman, M. [Supelec, Laboratoire de Physique des Gaz et des Plasmas (Univ. Paris-Sud/CNRS), Equipe Decharges Electriques et Environnement, 91 - Gif sur Yvette (France)

2005-02-01

Non-thermal plasmas have been extensively studied these past 20 years from a theoretical point of view, but also for practical applications. Atmospheric pressure electrical discharges appear as promising technologies for gas phase and aqueous phase pollution control applications. In such arrangements, arcing i.e. transition to thermal plasma, is classically prevented either by application of short high voltage pulses or by insulating one or both electrodes with a dielectric material. The aim of this paper is to report recent results on ozone formation indicating a significant increase of the energy yields by coupling these two techniques. The chemical behaviour of the discharge is correlated to its electrical characteristics. The physical role plaid by the dielectric surface is highlighted and an interpretation is proposed. (authors)

Dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma inhibits Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Tulane virus in Romaine lettuce

Science.gov (United States)

The present study investigated the effects of dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma (DACP) treatment on the inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Tulane virus (TV) on Romaine lettuce, assessing the influences of moisture vaporization, modifi...

Influence of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment on surface properties of PBO fiber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Ruiyun; Pan Xianlin; Jiang Muwen; Peng Shujing; Qiu Yiping

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► PBO fibers were treated with atmospheric pressure plasmas. ► When 1% of oxygen was added to the plasma, IFSS increased 130%. ► Increased moisture regain could enhance plasma treatment effect on improving IFSS with long treatment time. - Abstract: In order to improve the interfacial adhesion property between PBO fiber and epoxy, the surface modification effects of PBO fiber treated by atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in different time, atmosphere and moisture regain (MR) were investigated. The fiber surface morphology, functional groups, surface wettability for control and plasma treated samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle measurements, respectively. Meanwhile, the fiber interfacial shear strength (IFSS), representing adhesion property in epoxy, was tested using micro-bond pull-out test, and single fiber tensile strength was also tested to evaluate the mechanical performance loss of fibers caused by plasma treatment. The results indicated that the fiber surface was etched during the plasma treatments, the fiber surface wettability and the IFSS between fiber and epoxy had much improvement due to the increasing of surface energy after plasma treatment, the contact angle decreased with the treatment time increasing, and the IFSS was improved by about 130%. The processing atmosphere could influence IFSS significantly, and moisture regains (MR) of fibers also played a positive role on improving IFSS but not so markedly. XPS analysis showed that the oxygen content on fiber surface increased after treatment, and C=O, O-C=O groups were introduced on fiber surface. On the other hand, the observed loss of fiber tensile strength caused by plasma treatment was not so remarkable to affect the overall performance of composite materials.

In Situ Atmospheric Pressure Measurements in the Martian Southern Polar Region: Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor Meteorology Package on the Mars Polar Lander

Science.gov (United States)

Harri, A.-M.; Polkko, J.; Siili, T.; Crisp, D.

1998-01-01

Pressure observations are crucial for the success of the Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) Meteorology (MET) package onboard the Mars Polar Lander (MPL), due for launch early next year. The spacecraft is expected to land in December 1999 (L(sub s) = 256 degrees) at a high southern latitude (74 degrees - 78 degrees S). The nominal period of operation is 90 sols but may last up to 210 sols. The MVACS/MET experiment will provide the first in situ observations of atmospheric pressure, temperature, wind, and humidity in the southern hemisphere of Mars and in the polar regions. The martian atmosphere goes through a large-scale atmospheric pressure cycle due to the annual condensation/sublimation of the atmospheric CO2. Pressure also exhibits short period variations associated with dust storms, tides, and other atmospheric events. A series of pressure measurements can hence provide us with information on the large-scale state and dynamics of the atmosphere, including the CO2 and dust cycles as well as local weather phenomena. The measurements can also shed light on the shorter time scale phenomena (e.g., passage of dust devils) and hence be important in contributing to our understanding of mixing and transport of heat, dust, and water vapor.

Following the Ions through a Mass Spectrometer with Atmospheric Pressure Interface: Simulation of Complete Ion Trajectories from Ion Source to Mass Analyzer.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiaoyu; Ouyang, Zheng

2016-07-19

Ion trajectory simulation is an important and useful tool in instrumentation development for mass spectrometry. Accurate simulation of the ion motion through the mass spectrometer with atmospheric pressure ionization source has been extremely challenging, due to the complexity in gas hydrodynamic flow field across a wide pressure range as well as the computational burden. In this study, we developed a method of generating the gas flow field for an entire mass spectrometer with an atmospheric pressure interface. In combination with the electric force, for the first time simulation of ion trajectories from an atmospheric pressure ion source to a mass analyzer in vacuum has been enabled. A stage-by-stage ion repopulation method has also been implemented for the simulation, which helped to avoid an intolerable computational burden for simulations at high pressure regions while it allowed statistically meaningful results obtained for the mass analyzer. It has been demonstrated to be suitable to identify a joint point for combining the high and low pressure fields solved individually. Experimental characterization has also been done to validate the new method for simulation. Good agreement was obtained between simulated and experimental results for ion transfer though an atmospheric pressure interface with a curtain gas.

High quality graphene synthesized by atmospheric pressure CVD on copper foil

OpenAIRE

Trinsoutrot, Pierre; Rabot, Caroline; Vergnes, Hugues; Delamoreanu, Alexandru; Zenasni, Aziz; Caussat, Brigitte

2013-01-01

International audience; Graphene was synthesized at 1000 °C by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition on copper foil from methane diluted in argon and hydrogen. The influence of the main synthesis parameters was studied on 2 × 2 cm2 foils in order to obtain continuous monolayer graphenewithout crystalline defect. The uniformity, crystal quality and number of layers of graphenewere analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electronic Microscopy. First, an increase of the annealing pr...

Sterilization of Surfaces with a Handheld Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Robert; Habib, Sara; Chan, Wai; Gonzalez, Eleazar; Tijerina, A.; Sloan, Mark

2009-10-01

Low temperature, atmospheric pressure plasmas have shown great promise for decontaminating the surfaces of materials and equipment. In this study, an atmospheric pressure, oxygen and argon plasma was investigated for the destruction of viruses, bacteria, and spores. The plasma was operated at an argon flow rate of 30 L/min, an oxygen flow rate of 20 mL/min, a power density of 101.0 W/cm^3 (beam area = 5.1 cm^2), and at a distance from the surface of 7.1 mm. An average 6log10 reduction of viable spores was obtained after only 45 seconds of exposure to the reactive gas. By contrast, it takes more than 35 minutes at 121^oC to sterilize anthrax in an autoclave. The plasma properties were investigated by numerical modeling and chemical titration with nitric oxide. The numerical model included a detailed reaction mechanism for the discharge as well as for the afterglow. It was predicted that at a delivered power density of 29.3 W/cm^3, 30 L/min argon, and 0.01 volume% O2, the plasma generated 1.9 x 10^14 cm-3 O atoms, 1.6 x 10^12 cm-3 ozone, 9.3 x 10^13 cm-3 O2(^1δg), and 2.9 x 10^12 cm-3 O2(^1σ^+g) at 1 cm downstream of the source. The O atom density measured by chemical titration with NO was 6.0 x 10^14 cm-3 at the same conditions. It is believe that the oxygen atoms and the O2(^1δg) metastables were responsible for killing the anthrax and other microorganisms.

REFERENCE ON THERMOPHYSICAL PROPERTIES: DENSITY AND VISCOSITY OF WATER FOR ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elin Yusibani

2016-09-01

Full Text Available A reference on thermophysical properties, density and viscosity, for water at atmospheric pressure has been developed in MS Excel (as a macros. Patterson’s density equations and Kestin’s viscosity equations have been chosen as a basic equation in the VBA programming as a user-defined function. These results have been compared with REFPROF as a wellknow standart reference

Development of atmospheric pressure plasma needle jet for sterilization applications

Science.gov (United States)

Elfa, Rizan Rizon; Ahmad, Mohd Khairul; Soon, Chin Fhong; Sahdan, Mohd Zainizan; Lias, Jais; Wibowo, Kusnanto Mukti; Bakar, Ahmad Shuhaimi Abu; Arshad, Mohd Khairuddin Md; Hashim, Uda; Nayan, Nafarizal

2017-09-01

Inactivation of bacteria or sterilization has been a major issue in the medical field, especially regarding of human safety, whereby, in a huge scenario fatality can be caused by hazardous bacteria. Often, E-coli as gram-negative bacteria are selected as a key indicator of proper sterilization process as E-coli is tough and dormant bacteria. The technology in sterilization has moved on from chemical, wet and irradiation sterilization to a high promising device such as atmospheric pressure plasma needle jet (APPNJ). It has been reported that atmospheric pressure plasma has provided bundle of advantages over earlier sterilization process. The APPNJ is developed in our lab using high frequency and high voltage neon transformer power supply connected to copper needle and copper sheet electrodes. The gas discharge is Ar gas flowing at 40 L/min through a quartz glass tube. The E-coli bacteria are self-cultured from waste water and then treated with APPNJ. The treatment processes are run into two difference gaps between the plasma orifice and sample with various treatment times. Only 40s is required by direct treatment to achieve 100% killing of E-coli. On the other hand, indirect treatment has inactivated 50% of the E-coli in 40s. In this study, direct and indirect effect of APPNJ to the E-coli can be observed which can be utilized into sterilization of bio-compatible material applications.

Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma and bacteria: understanding the mode of action using vibrational microspectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kartaschew, Konstantin; Mischo, Meike; Bründermann, Erik; Havenith, Martina; Baldus, Sabrina; Awakowicz, Peter

2016-01-01

Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma show promising antimicrobial effects, however the detailed biochemical mechanism of the bacterial inactivation is still unknown. We investigated, for the first time, plasma-treated Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis and Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria with Raman and infrared microspectroscopy. A dielectric barrier discharge was used as a plasma source. We were able to detect several plasma-induced chemical modifications, which suggest a pronounced oxidative effect on the cell envelope, cellular proteins and nucleotides as well as a generation of organic nitrates in the treated bacteria. Vibrational microspectroscopy is used as a comprehensive and a powerful tool for the analysis of plasma interactions with whole organisms such as bacteria. Analysis of reaction kinetics of chemical modifications allow a time-dependent insight into the plasma-mediated impact. Investigating possible synergistic effects between the plasma-produced components, our observations strongly indicate that the detected plasma-mediated chemical alterations can be mainly explained by the particle effect of the generated reactive species. By changing the polarity of the applied voltage pulse, and hence the propagation mechanisms of streamers, no significant effect on the spectral results could be detected. This method allows the analysis of the individual impact of each plasma constituent for particular chemical modifications. Our approach shows great potential to contribute to a better understanding of plasma-cell interactions. (paper)

Seasonal Variations of the Earth's Gravitational Field: An Analysis of Atmospheric Pressure, Ocean Tidal, and Surface Water Excitation

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, D,; Gross, R.S.; Dickey, J.

1996-01-01

Monthly mean gravitational field parameters (denoted here as C(sub even)) that represent linear combinations of the primarily even degree zonal spherical harmonic coefficients of the Earth's gravitational field have been recovered using LAGEOS I data and are compared with those derived from gridded global surface pressure data of the National meteorological center (NMC) spanning 1983-1992. The effect of equilibrium ocean tides and surface water variations are also considered. Atmospheric pressure and surface water fluctuations are shown to be the dominant cause of observed annual C(sub even) variations. Closure with observations is seen at the 1sigma level when atmospheric pressure, ocean tide and surface water effects are include. Equilibrium ocean tides are shown to be the main source of excitation at the semiannual period with closure at the 1sigma level seen when both atmospheric pressure and ocean tide effects are included. The inverted barometer (IB) case is shown to give the best agreement with the observation series. The potential of the observed C(sub even) variations for monitoring mass variations in the polar regions of the Earth and the effect of the land-ocean mask in the IB calculation are discussed.

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in fruits and vegetables using atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Zhipeng; Dong, Fengshou; Xu, Jun; Liu, Xingang; Wu, Xiaohu; Chen, Zenglong; Pan, Xinglu; Gan, Jay; Zheng, Yongquan

2017-09-15

This paper describes the application of atmospheric pressure gas chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides in apple, pear, tomato, cucumber and cabbage. Soft ionization with atmospheric pressure ionization source was compared with traditional electron impact ionization (EI). The sensitivity of GC coupled to atmospheric pressure ionization (APGC) for all the analytes was enhanced by 1.0-8.2 times. The ionization modes with atmospheric pressure ionization source was studied by comparing the charge-transfer and proton-transfer conditions. The optimized QuEChERs method was used to pretreat the samples. The calibration curves were found linear from 10 to 1000μg/L, obtaining correlation coefficients higher than 0.9845. Satisfactory mean recovery values, in the range of 70.0-115.9%, and satisfactory precision, with all RSD r <19.7% and all RSD R values <19.5% at the three fortified concentration levels for all the fifteen OPPs. The results demonstrate the potential of APGC-QTOF-MS for routine quantitative analysis of organophosphorus pesticide in fruits and vegetables. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of two-dimensional microdischarge distribution in dielectric-barrier discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chirokov, A; Gutsol, A; Fridman, A; Sieber, K D; Grace, J M; Robinson, K S

2004-01-01

The two-dimensional spatial distribution of microdischarges in atmospheric pressure dielectric-barrier discharges (DBDs) in air was studied. Experimental images of DBDs (Lichtenberg figures) were obtained using photostimulable phosphors. The storage phosphor imaging method takes advantage of the linear response of the phosphor for characterization of microdischarge intensity and position. A microdischarge interaction model in DBDs is proposed and a Monte Carlo simulation of microdischarge interactions in the discharge is presented. Comparison of modelled and experimental images indicates interactions and short-range structuring of microdischarge channels

Atmospheric Pressure and Onset of Episodes of Menière's Disease - A Repeated Measures Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gürkov, Robert; Strobl, Ralf; Heinlin, Nina; Krause, Eike; Olzowy, Bernhard; Koppe, Christina; Grill, Eva

2016-01-01

External changes of air pressure are transmitted to the middle and inner ear and may be used therapeutically in Menière's disease, one of the most common vertigo disorders. We analyzed the possible relationship of atmospheric pressure and other meteorological parameters with the onset of MD vertigo episodes in order to determine whether atmospheric pressure changes play a role in the occurrence of MD episodes. Patients of a tertiary outpatient dizziness clinic diagnosed with MD were asked to keep a daily vertigo diary to document MD episodes (2004-2009). Local air pressure, absolute temperature and dew point temperature were acquired on an hourly basis. Change in meteorological parameters was conceptualized as the maximum difference in a 24 hour time frame preceding each day. Effects were estimated using additive mixed models with a random participant effect. We included lagged air parameters, age, sex, weekday and season in the model. A total of 56 persons (59% female) with mean age 54 years were included. Mean follow-up time was 267 days. Persons experienced on average 10.3 episodes during the observation period (median 8). Age and change in air pressure were significantly associated with vertigo onset risk (Odds Ratio = 0.979 and 1.010). We could not show an effect of sex, weekday, season, air temperature, and dew point temperature. Change in air pressure was significantly associated with onset of MD episodes, suggesting a potential triggering mechanism in the inner ear. MD patients may possibly use air pressure changes as an early warning system for vertigo attacks in the future.

An Alternative to Annealing TiO2 Nanotubes for Morphology Preservation: Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Sang-Hee; Uhm, Soo-Hyuk; Kwon, Jae-Sung; Choi, Eun Ha; Kim, Kwang-Mahn; Kim, Kyoung-Nam

2015-03-01

Titanium oxide nanotube layer formed by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is known to be excellent in biomaterial applications. However, the annealing process which is commonly performed on the TiO2 nanotubes cause defects in the nanotubular structure. The purpose of this work was to apply a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet on diameter-controlled TiO2 nanotubes to mimic the effects of annealing while maintaining the tubular structure for use as biomaterial. Diameter-controlled nanotube samples fabricated by plasma electrolytic oxidation were dried and prepared under three different conditions: untreated, annealed at 450 °C for 1 h in air with a heating rate of 10 °C/min, and treated with an air-based non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet for 5 minutes. The contact angle measurement was investigated to confirm the enhanced hydrophilicity of the TiO2 nanotubes. The chemical composition of the surface was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the morphology of TiO2 nanotubes was examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy. For the viability of the cell, the attachment of the osteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 was determined using the water-soluble tetrazolium salt assay. We found that there are no morphological changes in the TiO2 nanotubular structure after the plasma treatment. Also, we investigated a change in the chemical composition and enhanced hydrophilicity which result in improved cell behavior. The results of this study indicated that the non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet results in osteoblast functionality that is comparable to annealed samples while maintaining the tubular structure of the TiO2 nanotubes. Therefore, this study concluded that the use of a non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet on nanotube surfaces may replace the annealing process following plasma electrolytic oxidation.

Translational, rotational and vibrational temperatures of a gliding arc discharge at atmospheric pressure air

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Jiajian; Gao, Jinlong; Ehn, Andreas

2014-01-01

and vibrational temperatures of a gliding arc generated at atmospheric pressure air are investigated. Translational temperatures (about 1100 K) were measured by laser-induced Rayleigh scattering, and two-dimensional temperature imaging was performed. Rotational and vibrational temperatures (about 3600 K and 6700...

Characterization of typical chemical background interferences in atmospheric pressure ionization liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guo, Xinghua; Bruins, Andries P.; Covey, Thomas R.

2006-01-01

The structures and origins of typical chemical background noise ions in positive atmospheric pressure ionization liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (API LC/MS) are investigated and summarized in this study. This was done by classifying chemical background ions using precursor and product ion

Atmospheric pressure photoionization for enhanced compatibility in on-line micellar electrokinetic chromatography-mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mol, Roelof; De Jong, Gerhardus J.; Somsen, Govert W.

2005-01-01

Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) is presented as a novel means for the combination of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) and mass spectrometry (MS). The on-line coupling is achieved using an adapted sheath flow interface installed on an orthogonal APPI source. Acetone or

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON TOURISTS AND TOURISM ACTIVITIES IN THE PRAHOVA CORRIDOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HAVRIŞ LOREDANA-ELENA

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In the climate literature it is known that the atmospheric temperature directly and permanently acts on the all organisms and all geographical environment components, influencing the wellness of the weather sensitive persons and implicitly the wellness of tourists in this region. In the same time, its evolution is a good indicator in shaping the short and medium term meteorological forecast, considering that the region chosen for research is a very tripper one, especially during the winter season when the atmospheric pressure variation trend is much more pronounced. Within this framework, the present paper tries to develop a climatic diagnosis on the reference climate parameters (annual and monthly average pressure values, seasonal values, minimum and maximum absolute values and their emergence probability but also the non-periodic variability based on data recorded during 1961-2007 at Câmpina, Sinaia 1500, Predeal, Omu Peak and Braşov weather stations.