Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 19, 2026
08:36
An Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Setup to Investigate the Reactive Species Formation
Published on: November 3, 2016
10.6K
An atmospheric-pressure, high-aspect-ratio, cold micro-plasma
11] State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, P.R. China [2] IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, P.R. China.
Scientific Reports
|December 16, 2014
Summary
This study reports on atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium argon micro-plasma. High electron densities and room gas temperatures were achieved in a 3 μm radius micro-tube plasma.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Plasma Science
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Micro-plasmas offer unique properties for various applications.
- Generating and characterizing atmospheric pressure plasmas at the microscale presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report the generation of an atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium argon micro-plasma.
- To characterize the plasma properties within a micro-tube.
Main Methods:
- Generation of argon micro-plasma in a micro-tube (3 μm radius, 2.7 cm length).
- Estimation of electron density via Ar emission line broadening.
- Determination of electron temperature using a collisional-radiative (CR) model.
- Measurement of gas temperature from N2 rotational spectrum.
Main Results:
- Achieved electron densities as high as 3 × 10^16 cm⁻³.
- Electron temperature of 1.5 eV and gas temperature near room temperature.
- Sheath thickness comparable to the plasma radius.
- Ignition voltage increased by an order of magnitude when tube radius decreased from 1 mm to 3 μm.
Conclusions:
- Successful generation of atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium argon micro-plasma.
- Demonstrated high electron densities and low gas temperatures at the microscale.
- Highlighted the significant impact of micro-scale confinement on plasma ignition voltage.
Related Concept Videos
01:18Variation of Atmospheric Pressure
4.5K
Change in atmospheric pressure with height is particularly interesting. The decrease in atmospheric pressure with increasing altitude is due to the decreasing gravitational force per unit area as we move away from the surface of the earth.
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
Assuming the air temperature is constant at a given altitude and that the ideal gas law of thermodynamics describes the atmosphere to a good approximation, one can find the variation of atmospheric pressure with height.
Let p(y) be the atmospheric pressure at...
4.5K
01:28Vapor Pressure of Fluid
2.1K
The vapor pressure of a fluid is a crucial concept in fluid mechanics, influencing phenomena such as boiling and cavitation. Vapor pressure refers to the pressure exerted by a vapor at a state of thermodynamic equilibrium with its corresponding liquid phase at a specific temperature. It represents the tendency of molecules to escape from the fluid surface into the vapor phase.
When a liquid is placed in a closed container with a small air space, and the space is evacuated, vapor molecules will...
When a liquid is placed in a closed container with a small air space, and the space is evacuated, vapor molecules will...
2.1K
01:18Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
46
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches...
46
02:34Vapor Pressure
42.6K
When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules move randomly about, they will occasionally collide with the surface of the condensed phase, and in some cases, these collisions will result in the molecules re-entering the condensed phase. The change from the gas phase to the liquid is called condensation. When the rate of condensation becomes equal to the rate of vaporization, neither the amount of the liquid nor the amount of the vapor...
42.6K
02:57Definition and Measurement of Pressure: Atmospheric Pressure, Barometer, and Manometer
45.9K
Gas pressure is caused by force exerted by gas molecules colliding with the surfaces of objects. Although the force of each collision is very small, any surface of an appreciable area experiences a large number of collisions in a short time, which can result in high pressure.
45.9K
03:28Vapor Pressure Lowering
32.7K
The equilibrium vapor pressure of a liquid is the pressure exerted by its gaseous phase when vaporization and condensation are occurring at equal rates: Dissolving a nonvolatile substance in volatile liquid results in a lowering of the liquid’s vapor pressure. This phenomenon can be explained by considering the effect of added solute molecules on the liquid's vaporization and condensation processes. To vaporize, solvent molecules must be present at the surface of the solution. The...
32.7K