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Title: Generation of various radicals in nitrogen plasma and their behavior in media

Journal Article · · Physics of Plasmas
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4936796· OSTI ID:22489967
 [1]
  1. Department of Electrical and Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, 447-1 Wolgye-Dong, Nowon-Gu, Seoul 139-701 (Korea, Republic of)

Research on the generation of radicals in nitrogen plasma shows that the most dominant radicals are excited nitrogen molecules in the metastable state of N{sub 2}(A{sub 3}∑{sub u}{sup +}). Hydroxyl molecules are generated from the dissociation of water molecules upon contact with excited nitrogen molecules. The estimated densities of various radicals in nitrogen plasma with an electron temperature of 1 eV are presented in this study. The behavior of these radicals in media is also investigated. Excited nitrogen molecules in the N{sub 2}(A{sub 3}∑{sub u}{sup +}) state from a plasma jet are injected into water, after which the molecules disappear instantaneously within a few tens of nm, producing hydroxyl molecules. Hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen dioxide, and nitrogen monoxide molecules can diffuse much deeper into water, implying the possibility that a chemical reaction between hydrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide molecules produces hydroxyl molecules in deep water, even though density in this case may not be very high.

OSTI ID:
22489967
Journal Information:
Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 12; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English