title: Removal of a hydrogenated amorphous carbon film from the tip of a micropipette electrode using direct current corona discharge.
abstract: Micropipette electrodes are fabricated by coating glass micropipettes first with metal and then with hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) as an electrical insulator. Furthermore, at the tip of the micropipette electrode, the deposited a-C:H film needs to be removed to expose the metal-coated surface and hollow for the purposes of electrical measurement and injection. This paper describes a convenient and reliable method for removing the a-C:H film using direct current corona discharge in atmospheric air. The initial film removal occurred at an applied voltage of 1.5-2.0 kV, accompanied by an abrupt increase in the discharge current. The discharge current then became stable at a microampere level in the glow corona mode, and the removed area gradually extended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kakuta
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okuyama
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004566:Electrodes; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry; D006865:Hydrogenation; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D002244:Carbon