Se Youn Moon

Electron density and temperature measurement by continuum radiation emitted from weakly ionized atmospheric pressure plasmas

The electron-atom neutral bremsstrahlung continuum radiation emitted from weakly ionized plasmas is investigated for electron density and temperature diagnostics. The continuum spectrum in 450–1000 nm emitted from the argon atmospheric pressure plasma is found to be in excellent agreement with the neutral bremsstrahlung formula with the electron-atom momentum transfer cross-section given by Popovic. In 280–450 nm, however, a large discrepancy between the measured and the neutral bremsstrahlung emissivities is observed. We find that without accounting for the radiative H2 dissociation continuum, the temperature, and density measurements would be largely wrong, so that it should be taken into account for accurate measurement.

Multiple (eight) plasma bullets in helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet and the role of nitrogen

As many as eight multiple plasma bullets produced at atmospheric pressure were observed in one voltage period in a capillary helium dielectric barrier plasma jet. We found that the number of the bullets strongly depends on the nitrogen fraction added to the helium supply gas. Using optical emission spectroscopy and ionization rate calculation, this study demonstrates that nitrogen gas plays an important role in the generation and dynamics of multiple plasma bullets through Penning ionization of nitrogen by helium metastables.

Formation and characterization of hydrophobic glass surface treated by atmospheric pressure He/CH4 plasma

Atmospheric pressure helium plasmas, generated in the open air by 13.56 MHz rf power, were applied for the glass surface wettability modification. The plasma gas temperature, measured by the spectroscopic method, was under 400 K which is low enough to treat the samples without thermal damages. The hydrophobicity of the samples determined by the water droplet contact angle method was dependent on the methane gas content and the plasma exposure time. Adding the methane gas by a small amount of 0.25%, the contact angle was remarkably increased from 10° to 83° after the 10 s plasma treatment. From the analysis of the treated surface and the plasma, it was shown that the deposition of alkane functional groups such as C-H stretch, CH2 bend, and CH3 bend was one of the contributing factors for the hydrophobicity development. In addition, the hydrophobic properties lasted over 2 months even after the single treatment. From the results, the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment promises the fast and low-cost metho...

Antitumorigenic effect of atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge on human colorectal cancer cells via regulation of Sp1 transcription factor

Human colorectal cancer cell lines (HT29 and HCT116) were exposed to dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at atmospheric pressure to investigate the anticancer capacity of the plasma. The dose- and time-dependent effects of DBDP on cell viability, regulation of transcription factor Sp1, cell-cycle analysis, and colony formation were investigated by means of MTS assay, DAPI staining, propidium iodide staining, annexin V–FITC staining, Western blot analysis, RT-PCR analysis, fluorescence microscopy, and anchorage-independent cell transformation assay. By increasing the duration of plasma dose times, significant reductions in the levels of both Sp1 protein and Sp1 mRNA were observed in both cell lines. Also, expression of negative regulators related to the cell cycle (such as p53, p21, and p27) was increased and of the positive regulator cyclin D1 was decreased, indicating that the plasma treatment led to apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest. In addition, the sizes and quantities of colony formation were significantly suppressed even though two cancer promoters, such as TPA and epidermal growth factor, accompanied the plasma treatment. Thus, plasma treatment inhibited cell viability and colony formation by suppressing Sp1, which induced apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in these two human colorectal cancer cell lines.

The creation of electric wind due to the electrohydrodynamic force

Understanding the interactions between ionized matter and neutral particles is a prerequisite for discovering their impact on natural phenomena. One such phenomenon is the electric wind, which supposedly occurs due to the charged particle–neutral coupling in systems of weakly ionized gases, but this mechanism remains unclear. Here, we report direct evidence that electric wind is caused by an electrohydrodynamic force generated by the charged particle drag as a result of the momentum transfer from electrons/ions to neutrals. The model experiment is based on a pulsed plasma jet as a source of weakly ionized gases generated in the helium gas at atmospheric pressure using Schlieren photography. Studying the helium gas flow trajectories at different discharge parameters allows one to distinguish between the effects of streamer propagation or space charge drift causing the electric wind as well as to determine the role of electrons and (positive) ions in wind generation.The electric wind mechanism remains unclear. Here, the authors report evidence that electric wind is caused by an electrohydrodynamic force generated by charged particle drag as a result of momentum transfer to neutral particles.

Spatio-temporally resolved electron temperature in argon radio-frequency capacitive discharge at atmospheric pressure

Due to the lack of convincing experimental evidence for electron information, there are still unclearly understood discharge phenomena in atmospheric pressure radio-frequency (rf) capacitive discharge, e.g. the electron heating, discharge structures, and the alpha–gamma mode transition. Thus, to perceive basic and meaningful principles with an unambiguous interpretation, simple and reliable electron diagnostics are required. Since bremsstrahlung emitted through electron-neutral atom interaction depends on electron density (ne) and temperature (Te), their diagnostic is possible. In particular, Te is easily estimated from the ratio of bremsstrahlung emissivities at two different wavelengths or more. In this paper, 2D Te distribution in an argon atmospheric pressure capacitive discharge measured by using a digital camera and optical band pass filters is described. Time-averaged Te in the bulk region obtained by a digital camera is consistent with that measured by an absolutely calibrated spectrometer. In addition, time-resolved emission spectra and the corresponding ne and Te during one rf cycle of the argon capacitive discharge are discussed. The result shows that Te varied from 2.3 to 3.0 eV, while ne did not change significantly.

Superhydrophobic treatment using atmospheric-pressure He/C4F8 plasma for buoyancy improvement

A superhydrophobic miniature boat was fabricated with aluminum alloy plates treated with atmospheric-pressure helium (He)/octafluorocyclobutane (C4F8) plasma using 13.56 MHz rf power. When only 0.13% C4F8 was added to He gas, the contact angle of the surface increased to 140° and the surface showed superhydrophobic properties. On the basis of chemical and morphological analyses, fluorinated functional groups (CF, CF2, and CF3) and nano-/micro-sized particles were detected on the Al surface. These features brought about superhydrophobicity similar to the lotus effect. While the miniature boat, assembled with plasma-treated plates, was immersed in water, a layer of air (i.e., a plastron) surrounded the superhydrophobic surfaces. This effect contributed to the development of a 4.7% increase in buoyancy. In addition, the superhydrophobic properties lasted for two months under the submerged condition. These results demonstrate that treatment with atmospheric-pressure He/C4F8 plasma is a promising method of improving the load capacity and antifouling properties, and reducing the friction of marine ships through a fast and low-cost superhydrophobic treatment process.

Electron Information in Single- and Dual-Frequency Capacitive Discharges at Atmospheric Pressure

Determining the electron properties of weakly ionized gases, particularly in a high electron-neutral collisional condition, is a nontrivial task; thus, the mechanisms underlying the electron characteristics and electron heating structure in radio-frequency (rf) collisional discharges remain unclear. Here, we report the electrical characteristics and electron information in single-frequency (4.52 MHz and 13.56 MHz) and dual-frequency (a combination of 4.52 MHz and 13.56 MHz) capacitive discharges within the abnormal α-mode regime at atmospheric pressure. A continuum radiation-based electron diagnostic method is employed to estimate the electron density (ne) and temperature (Te). Our experimental observations reveal that time-averaged ne (7.7–14 × 1011 cm−3) and Te (1.75–2.5 eV) can be independently controlled in dual-frequency discharge, whereas such control is nontrivial in single-frequency discharge, which shows a linear increase in ne and little to no change in Te with increases in the rf input power. Furthermore, the two-dimensional spatiotemporal evolution of neutral bremsstrahlung and associated electron heating structures is demonstrated. These results reveal that a symmetric structure in electron heating becomes asymmetric (via a local suppression of electron temperature) as two-frequency power is simultaneously introduced.

Rapid and selective surface functionalization of the membrane for high efficiency oil-water separation via an atmospheric pressure plasma process

Oil-water separation is a worldwide challenge because of the increasing production of industrial oily wastewater and frequent oil spills. The growing environmental and economic demands emphasize the need to develop effective solutions to separate oil and water. Recently, oil-water separation methods were developed by tuning the wettability of membranes via surface functionalization. However, the industrialization of such methods remains challenging due to the easy-fouling, high cost and complex fabrication. Herein, a simple and rapid pathway to separate oil from oil-water mixtures is reported using plasma surface functionalization in an open-air environment. The fine tuning and study of the plasma process parameters enables the selective functionalization of each side of the membranes which led respectively to a superhydrophobic-superoleophilic and superhydrophobic-oleophobic sides. The successful separation, without any external force, of a 50 mL oil-water solution in 6 minutes was achieved. This work paves the way for an efficient, low cost and easily upscalable method for oil-water separation due to the high versatility of the atmospheric pressure plasma processes.

Improvement of the self-cleaning capabilities and transparency of cover glasses for solar cell applications by modification with atmospheric pressure plasma

Using a cover glass is indispensable for protecting solar cells in photovoltaic systems. Herein, the surface of the cover glass was modified by atmospheric pressure plasma to enhance the self-cleaning effect without degrading the transmittance. A lower surface energy was achieved by depositing fluorocarbon polymers, and a micro-nano multi-scale morphology was built on the cover glass within 50 s. These two properties led to an increase in the hydrophobicity, which enhanced the self-cleaning effect of the surface. The morphology of the surface also helped to improve the transparency by reducing reflections. Both the enhanced self-cleaning effect and the improved transparency induced by the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment were confirmed by analyzing the total conversion efficiency of a solar cell by outdoor field testing.