Simultaneous formation of striations and patterns in surface dielectric barrier discharge

Longitudinal striations and transverse patterns are simultaneously observed in a surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system in argon. Patterned filaments form at sufficient high frequency and moderate voltage. The images of bright filaments and faint regions between them reverse alternately in the two half-cycles. The number of luminous filaments is generally determined by the gas pressure rather than the applied voltage. The striations appear during the plasma expanding above the anode surface in negative half-cycle, in the filaments as well as the regions between them synchronously. The striation spacing does not depend on the voltage, but decreases with the gas pressure in the present configuration. The formations of striation and pattern are two separated processes, and both relate strongly to the accumulated charges on the dielectric surface and the induced surface field

Ion source for IMS based on wire-to-plate corona discharge

In this paper, an ion source based on wire-to-plate corona is developed for Ion Mobility Spectrometer (IMS). The characteristics of the corona discharge and the ion current detected on Faraday plate are investigated under different electrode spacing and voltage. The effect of voltage polarity is also studied. The features of this new designed ion source are compared with that of point-to-plate corona. The results show that the present IMS prototype machine can provide a much larger value of ion current connected by Faraday plate than the point-to-plate corona and/or the traditional 63Ni source. The corona configuration can also act as a good electromagnetic shielding to defense the electromagnetic emission from the corona discharge

Pulse Current of Multi-Needle Negative Corona Discharge and Its Electromagnetic Radiation Characteristics

Negative corona discharge occurs widely in high voltage transmission lines and other “high voltage„ uses, which can cause strong electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this research, the pulse current of multi-needle negative corona discharge and its electromagnetic (EM) radiation characteristics were studied and compared with that of single-needle negative corona discharge. A dipole radiation model was established to analyze the EM radiation characteristics of the negative corona discharge. The results show that the Trichel pulse discharge process of one discharge needle in multi-needle discharge structure will inhibit the discharge of the other discharge needles. It is only when the voltage reaches a certain threshold will the current and EM radiation fields of multi-needle discharge structure with a significant increasing of amolitude. The frequency of EM radiation of negative corona discharge is not affected by the number of needles, but is only related to ambient air pressure. This research provides a basis for detecting corona discharge sources in different conditions

Transition of predominant mechanism for the deviation of micro-gap dc gas breakdown character with electrode gap changing

This paper explores the predominant mechanisms for the deviation of micro-gap dc gas breakdown and the transition between different mechanisms as the electrode separation d changing under a pin-to-plate electrode configuration using 2d3v particle-in-cell simulation with Monte Carlo collisions. The deviated breakdown characteristic curves as a function of d or gas pressure p are investigated and both present a plateau region. Through researching the position of discharge path, it is found that a self-modulation effect manages to maintain the breakdown voltage at the minimum value defined by Paschen’s curve in a certain d or p range and forms the plateau. The ranges of d and p for the plateau are also established. Theoretical calculation on the secondary electron emission coefficient induced by ion-enhanced field and determined by a surface roughness factor confirms that the ion-enhanced field emission effect affects the breakdown voltage significantly when d is below a critical value. The smaller the surface roughness factor is, the smaller the critical d will be. Under this effect, the breakdown voltage is decreased with d decreasing (also referred to as an increasing left branch with d increasing). Conclusively, the deviation characters of micro-gap gas breakdown are controlled by different mechanisms at different d ranges. The predominant mechanism for the deviation is the self-modulation effect, serving as the main reason for the plateau region, at moderate d of several micrometers and will transit to the ion-enhanced field emission effect, which is responsible for the increasing left branch at smaller d

Plasma medicine for neuroscience - An introduction

Plasma is an ionized gas. It is typically formed at high temperature. As a result of both the development of low-temperature plasma sources and a better understanding of complex plasma phenomena over the last decade, "plasma medicine" has become a booming interdisciplinary research topic of growing importance that explores enormous opportunities at the interface of chemistry, plasma physics, and biomedical sciences with engineering. This review presents the latest development in plasma medicine in the area of the central nervous system and aims to introduce cutting-edge plasma medicine to clinical and translational medical researchers and practitioners.</p

Cytoprotective effects of atmospheric-pressure plasmas against hypoxia-induced neuronal injuries

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) has recently been the focus of cytoprotective research due to the physiological roles of ROS and RNS. In the current study, we investigated the effect of APPJ treatment on the hypoxia (1% oxygen) induced cell injuries. SH-SY5Y cells were treated by APPJ for different duration and incubated in normoxic condition (20% oxygen) for 5 h followed by 24 h hypoxia treatment. Cell viability was evaluated by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and further monitored using the electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) system after APPJ treatment. Results showed that APPJ could reduce cell injuries after 24 h hypoxia, which was consistent with the ECIS results. Furthermore, extracellular NO and H2O2 production was significantly increased with the APPJ treatment. It was also interesting to find that APPJ treatment reduced SH-SY5Y cells proliferation in the hypoxic microenvironment during the first 20 h of hypoxia. Although more work was still need to clarify whether the cell viability maintenance was related to the cell proliferation during hypoxia, our results provide the first evidence of real-time cell viability changes after APPJ treatment under both normoxic and hypoxic conditions, which could provide evidence for the neuroprotective applications of APPJ