| AVS 63rd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session PS-ThP |
| Session: | Plasma Science and Technology Division Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Steven Doyle, University of Alabama in Huntsville |
| Authors: | S. Doyle, University of Alabama in Huntsville K.G. Xu, University of Alabama in Huntsville |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A high voltage pulsed DC microplasma jet operating at atmospheric pressure has been developed for nanoparticle synthesis applications. The configuration consists of a high voltage center pin electrode inserted in a quartz tube, running between 5kv – 10kv. The plasma forming gas, being argon, is fed into the tube along with a small concentration of methane, which serves as the working gas. Flow rates and methane ratios vary between 2 – 5 slm and 0.01/Ar – 0.05/Ar, respectively. Nanoparticles of interest include both metal oxides and carbon. Metal oxide nanoparticle formation comes from the oxidation of the center pin electrode, while carbon nanoparticles are a product of the decomposition of the methane working gas. The impact of the center pin electrode chemical composition on the resulting nanoparticles has been tested. The main properties of interest for the nanoparticles are the size, shape, and population density. Copper, tungsten, and mechanical pencil graphite were chosen as the three most desirable electrodes based on the literature. Finally, the flow rates and voltages of the system have been adjusted to further demonstrate their impact on the nanoparticles formed. The nanoparticles are imaged with an SEM and the chemical compositions are confirmed via EDS analysis. The system generates a “cold” microplasma with a gas temperature of just over 300 K. This property makes the microplasma system design of great interest for applications where low temperature limits exist.