Glow Discharge Emission Spectra in Air with Liquid Electrode Based on Distilled Water

Abstract

The results of spectroscopic studies of a glow discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure in air with an electrode based on distilled water are presented. The parametric effects affecting the discharge emission are analyzed. The dependence of the emission intensity of the various discharge components and their spatial localization in the discharge gap on the current strength is explained by change in the discharge geometry and the conditions of oxidation with increase of the current. It is shown that the composition of the gas mixture in the electrode gap changes with increase of the discharge current from nitrogen-rich (12–19 mA) to rich in water vapor and its dissociation products (19–24 mA). At higher currents, the gas mixture is also rich in the products of plasma chemical reactions and nitric oxide in particular. The redistribution of the radiation intensity of the molecules of nitrogen and its oxide with increase of the current occurs mainly in the cathode region (at the plasma-fluid boundary), where the formation of oxides is improved as a result of increase in the amount of vaporized solution and in the effectiveness of oxidation reactions with increase of the water temperature and discharge current.