Energetics of Molecular Excitation, Fragmentation, and Polymerization in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge with Argon Carrier Gas.
We report experiments at atmospheric pressure (AP) using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor designed for plasma polymerization (PP) with "monomers" at ‰ concentrations in ca.10 standard liters per minute of argon (Ar) carrier gas. We have perfected a method for measuring Eg, the energy dissipated per cycle of the applied a.c. high voltage, Va(f), but the focus here is on ΔEg, the energy difference with and without a flow, Fd, of monomer in the Ar flow, with the plasma being sustained at Va(f) = 2.8 kVrms, f = 20 kHz. From ΔEg and Fd, we derive a characteristic energy per molecule, Em (in eV), and investigate plots of Em versus Fd and 1/Fd for three model "monomers": formic, acetic, and acrylic acid. These data, along with those for lighter or heavier organic compounds, reveal novel information about energy absorption from the plasma and ensuing polymerization reactions.
Groupe des Couches Minces (GCM) and Department of Engineering Physics, Polytechnique Montréal , Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3A7, Canada.
Sean
S
Watson
Groupe des Couches Minces (GCM) and Department of Engineering Physics, Polytechnique Montréal , Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3A7, Canada.
Bernard
B
Nisol
Research Centre, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), and Department of Mechanical Engineering, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) , Montréal, Quebec H3C 1K3, Canada.
Sophie
S
Lerouge
Groupe des Couches Minces (GCM) and Department of Engineering Physics, Polytechnique Montréal , Box 6079, Station Centre-Ville, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3A7, Canada.
Michael Robert
MR
Wertheimer