Thierry Paulmier

Characterization of reaction products and mechanisms in atmospheric pressure plasma deposition of carbon films from ethanol

Atmospheric pressure plasma deposition (APPD) of carbon films from a predominantly ethanol liquid phase was carried out under varying experimental conditions. A solid precipitate formed in the process was characterised by FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. After each experiment the liquid phase was analysed for by-products by GC-MS. A number of compounds were found and mechanisms for their formation are proposed. These mechanisms involve the production of free radical species under the high energy plasma/discharge conditions of the process. The formation of groups of compounds was found to correlate with the voltage in the cell, but not with any other experimental parameter.

Characterisation of nano-crystalline titanium dioxide films grown by atmospheric pressure plasma electrolytic deposition

A new atmospheric pressure plasma electrolytic process has been developed for the deposition of TiO2 crystalline thin films on metal substrate. Contrary to the other deposition techniques, the process occurs in a liquid precursor, composed of titanium tetraisopropoxide and absolute ethanol. A plasma discharge is created and confined around the cathode in a superheated vapour sheath surrounded by the liquid phase, inducing the production of a thin TiO2 coating at the surface of the cathode. Because of the flexibility of the operating parameters, this technology allows the rapid deposition of thin films with a wide range of structural and physical properties. This process enables therefore the production of nanocrystalline titania films with adjustable morphology and structure (anatase, rutile) by adjusting the operating voltage, current intensity, the treatment time and calcination temperature. The analysis of the structure and composition of these TiO2 coatings have been carried out by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction. A thorough study has been performed to understand the influence of the operating parameters on the properties and structure of the coatings.