On durable materials for dielectric-barrier discharge plasma actuators

Abstract

In the current experimental investigation various electrode and dielectric materials for dielectric-barrier discharge plasma actuators have been studied in quiescent air under consideration of actuator degradation during long-term operation. The performance variation of the different actuators was initially monitored via alteration of the electrical power consumption P̄a during 6-hour continuous operation. While some material combinations led to premature failure, certain dielectrics such as quartz-glass and aluminum oxide maintained constant performance. The latter was selected for screen-printing of electrodes, so as to obtain reproducible actuator geometries. These actuators were deployed in 10-hour continuous operation. Besides P̄a, the cold capacitance C0 was tracked for each actuator, in order to assess the degradation process of the actuator. Among the tested metals for the screen-printed electrodes, copper showed the best endurance characteristics and, thus, is recommended for both comparable laboratory experiments and durability in AFC application. Admixtures of platinum in the electrode material are to be avoided because of heavy oxidation under ozone exposition. The quantitative outcomes supported by the P̄a and C0 measurements were qualitatively supported by visual inspection of the actuators and of the discharge light emission. On a final note, the screen-printed copper-aluminum-oxide actuator configuration, featuring both good durability and reproducibility, is a recommended combination.