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Treating Surfaces with a Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma using the COST-Jet
Published on: November 2, 2020
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Plasma-induced surface cooling
John A Tomko1, Michael J Johnson2, David R Boris3
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA. jat6rs@virginia.edu.
Nature Communications
|May 13, 2022
Summary
This study reveals pulsed plasma can transiently cool material surfaces, a novel finding in plasma-surface interactions. Photon-stimulated desorption is identified as the likely cause of this unexpected plasma cooling effect.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Plasma Physics
- Surface Science
Background:
- Plasmas are crucial for materials engineering, enabling surface modification through energy and species delivery.
- Plasma-surface interactions typically involve heating, driving localized physicochemical processes.
- Direct measurement of transient thermal responses during plasma exposure has been lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To directly measure the localized, transient thermal response of a material surface during pulsed plasma exposure.
- To investigate the mechanisms behind observed 'plasma cooling' phenomena.
- To correlate plasma characteristics with material surface temperature changes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized time-resolved optical thermometry for in-situ surface temperature measurement.
- Employed time-resolved plasma diagnostics to analyze photon and charged particle flux.
- Correlated thermal data with plasma diagnostic measurements.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that pulsed plasma energy flux causes both heating and transient cooling of the material surface.
- Identified a correlation between plasma diagnostics and the observed thermal response.
- Photon-stimulated desorption of surface adsorbates emerged as the probable cause of plasma cooling.
Conclusions:
- Pulsed plasmas can induce transient cooling on material surfaces, challenging conventional understanding.
- Photon-stimulated desorption is the most likely mechanism responsible for this observed plasma cooling.
- This finding opens new avenues for controlling plasma-surface thermal dynamics.
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