Dielectric Barrier Discharge Configuration Research Articles

Dielectric Barrier Plasma Discharge Exsolution of Nanoparticles at Room Temperature and Atmospheric Pressure.

Exsolution of metal nanoparticles (NPs) on perovskite oxides has been demonstrated as a reliable strategy for producing catalyst-support systems. Conventional exsolution requires high temperatures for long periods of time, limiting the selection of support materials. Plasma direct exsolution is reported at room temperature and atmospheric pressure of Ni NPs from a model A-site deficient perovskite oxide (La0.43Ca0.37Ni0.06Ti0.94O2.955). Plasma exsolution is carried out within minutes (up to 15min) using a dielectric barrier discharge configuration both with He-only gas as well as with He/H2 gas mixtures, yielding small NPs (<30nm diameter). To prove the practical utility of exsolved NPs, various experiments aimed at assessing their catalytic performance for methanation from synthesis gas, CO, and CH4 oxidation are carried out. Low-temperature and atmospheric pressure plasma exsolution are successfully demonstrated and suggest that this approach could contribute to the practical deployment of exsolution-based stable catalyst systems.

Degradation of dyes using reactive species of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge formed by a pencil plasma jet

The dye degradation efficacy of the cold plasma pencil jet is presented in the present investigation. Dye degradation studies were performed using air plasma, six different types of selected dyes (erythrosine, metanil yellow, sudan I, crystal violet, rhodamine B, and Indigo). The degradation of dyes is analyzed using UV visible spectroscopy, total organic carbon, and chemical oxygen demand. The results showed complete degradation of all types of dyes in UV visible analysis with minimum time for indigo (3 min) and maximum time for erythrosine (45 min). Moreover, erythrosine (k = 1.08 mg l−1 min−1), sudan I (k = 3.46 mg l−1 min−1), rhodamine B (k = 3.955 mg l−1 min−1), and Indigo (k = 18.915 mg l−1 min−1) follows approximate zeroth-order degradation kinetic, and metanil yellow (k = 0.094 min−1) and crystal violet (k = 0.25 min−1), closer to first-order degradation kinetics. Additionally, a substantial enhancement in mineralization and reduction in chemical oxygen demand of all the dyes occurs after plasma treatment. In this study, air plasma is produced in the cylindrical coaxial dielectric barrier discharge configuration. Electrical characterization of plasma is performed and the plasma species are identified using optical emission spectroscopy. The toxicity of plasma degraded dyes solutions toward freshwater algae species (Chlorella Sorokiniana and Chlorella Pyrenoidosa) are significantly low compared to virgin dyes solutions. The study reveals that pencil plasma jet substantially degrades dyes as well as converts the dyes solutions non-toxic.

The discharge characteristics and benzene degradation performance of a three-electrode DBD reactor powered by dual AC power generators

A three-electrode hybrid volume/surface dielectric barrier discharge (V-SDBD) configuration with two plane electrodes and six grounded strips electrode was designed for enhancing the generation of discharge plasma to degrade gaseous benzene. Two plane electrodes were separately powered by a 5 kHz AC generator and a 50 Hz AC generator, respectively. Compared with the typical two-electrode volume DBD (VDBD) reactor excited by 50 Hz AC generator, the hybrid V-SDBD reactor has lower onset discharge voltage and better discharge homogeneity, and the benzene degradation efficiency of V-SDBD was 1.12 times higher than that of VDBD at a similar energy efficiency. Moreover, an increase in the voltage on HVE-II promoted benzene degradation, but decreased the energy efficiency of benzene degradation.

Streamer-induced kinetics of excited states in pure N2: I. Propagation velocity, and vibrational distributions of N2(C) and N(B) states

The emission spectra of a streamer discharge in pure nitrogen provide an important tool for investigating the fundamental kinetics of excited electronic states of N2 and benchmark data for validating advanced kinetic schemes for numerical models. In this work, we characterize a streamer monofilament developed in a dielectric barrier discharge configuration, including electrical characteristics, time-resolved images and N2/N emission spectra, all acquired with nanosecond temporal resolution. Time-resolved images and emission characteristics provide clear evidence of the formation of a cathode-directed streamer and allow determining the streamer propagation velocity and the typical values using the intensity ratio of nitrogen spectral bands in the center of the discharge gap. We also measure the vibrational distributions of the N2(C, 0–4) and N(B, 0–2) states. The population of N2(C, 0–4) state, initially formed by energetic electrons in the streamer head, changes later significantly due to the decrease in the mean energy and concentration of the streamer channel electrons. After a few tens of nanoseconds, the electron-impact excitation rate of N2(C) becomes negligible compared to its population by the N2() + N2() pooling. The experimental findings are supported and consistent with the 0D state-to-state kinetic model results and reveal the participation of high vibrational levels of N2() in the pooling reactions.

The role of the number of filaments in the dissociation of CO2 in dielectric barrier discharges

An experimental investigation of the dissociation of CO2 in a symmetric pin-to-pin dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is presented. The reactor geometry allows for an accurate control of the number of filaments (microdischarges) and is used to study the impact of one single filament on the CO2 dissociation. We show the number of filaments per half cycle follows a power-law as a function of the injected power and does not depend on pressure, flow or other process parameters. It is shown that for pressures between 200 and 700 mbar approximately 0.5 W per filament is required and the charge transferred per filament remains constant at 0.5 nC. Furthermore, the dependence of CO2 conversion on only specific energy input (SEI) is shown to be valid down to a single filament. Additionally, by using quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy the absolute number of CO molecules produced per filament is measured and is found to be in the range from 5.1011 to 2.1012. The conversion degree of CO2 into CO is estimated to be lower than 0.1% within a single filament and increases with SEI. In the presence of a couple of filaments, the maximum energy efficiency obtained is 25%. A comparison of the conversion degrees in pin-to-pin DBD and plane-to-plane DBD configuration shows that these two reactor geometries follow the same power law. This means the geometry is not the most important parameter in CO2 dissociation in DBDs, but the SEI and thus the number of filaments ignited per unit of time. This result means that the dependence of conversion degree on the SEI can be extended to a single filament. This observation leads to the conclusion that the SEI appears to be valid as a universal scaling parameter down to very low values.

Extended reaction kinetics model for non-thermal argon plasmas and its test against experimental data

An extended reaction kinetics model (RKM) suitable for the analysis of weakly ionised, non-thermal argon plasmas with gas temperatures around 300 K at sub-atmospheric and atmospheric pressures is presented. It considers 23 different species including electrons as well as the ground state atom, an atomic and molecular ion, four excited molecular states, and 15 excited atomic states of argon, where all individual 1s and 2p states (in Paschen notation) are included as a separate species. This 23-species RKM involves 409 collision processes and radiative transitions and recent electron collision cross section data. It is evaluated by means of results of time- and space-dependent fluid modelling of argon discharges and their comparison with measured data for two different dielectric barrier discharge configurations as well as a micro-scaled atmospheric-pressure plasma jet setup. The results are also compared with those obtained by use of a previously established 15-species RKM involving only the two lumped 2p states 2p10…5 and . It is found that the 23-species RKM shows generally better agreement with experimental data and provides more options for direct comparison with measurements than the frequently used 15-species RKM.

Next generation of dielectric barrier discharge hydride atomizers for atomic absorption spectrometry: A case study on Pb, Bi, Se and Te

The performance of hydride atomizers based on dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was evaluated by atomic absorption spectrometry as a detector employing Pb, Bi, Se and Te as model analytes. Two designs of DBD atomizers either with glued or sputtered electrodes were investigated in combination with sinusoidal or square-wave modulated high voltage power supply sources. Moreover, the effect of gas phase dryers on analyte response was studied. Nafion tubes were found as universal dryers capable of efficient water vapor removal with no losses of analyte. Sensitivity was compared among individual DBD configurations being related also to conventional externally heated quartz tube (multi)atomizers (MM)QTA. For Te and Se comparable sensitivities were reached in all configurations of DBD atomizers and MMQTA. On the contrary, QTA provided three times higher sensitivity for Bi and Pb than DBD atomizers. Sensitivity reached among DBD atomizers was the same regardless of their electrode design and high voltage waveform modulation for Se, Te and Bi. Differences in sensitivity were observed for Pb depending on DBD atomizer configuration. Here the best sensitivity was found in DBD with sputtered electrodes coupled to power source with square-wave modulation of high voltage. It was twice higher than that reached in the DBD atomizer with glued electrodes powered by sine-wave voltage. The sensitivity in DBD atomizers correlates negatively with the amount of analyte deposited in the atomizer during atomization. >90% of Bi and Pb introduced into the system is deposited while the deposited fraction of Te and Se, respectively, decreases to 60% and 35%.

Design and Construction of a New Plasma Applicator for the Improved Disinfection and Activation of Large Surfaces

This paper describes the design and operation of a low-cost plasma applicator based on a patented, swirled-type dielectric barrier discharge configuration with a treatment width up to 300 mm. Differences from earlier plasma applicators include: blown cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge, combining the functional properties of the plasma jet systems, arc and corona discharge blown in a single type of universal applicator, and the possibility of treating large areas of samples with cold plasma generated in a certain type of specific process gas mixture chosen according to the type of desired effect. We tested the effect of the plasma on a few materials such as cotton and linen fabrics, glass wafers and printing cardboard, proving that the generated plasma can easily make hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces. We also tried the plasma’s sterilizing effect on Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. The results suggest that our plasma system can be successfully applied to medical and biological fields as well, where the removal of bacteria and their fragments is required.

Energy Yield and Removal Efficiency of NO x Curtailment Process With High Voltage Pulse Powered DBD Electrode Configurations

Experimental investigation on the NO_<i>x</i> removal efficiency and energy yield (EY) of eight dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor configurations is done in this work. A high voltage pulsed power supply developed in the laboratory is used to generate nonthermal plasma (NTP) in the reactors with eight types of electrodes varying in shape and dimensions. Simulated NO_<i>x</i> gas with a concentration of 350 ppm is passed at a flow rate of 8 l/min through the reactors. Different pulse voltage amplitude and repetition rate are applied to the reactors for generating NTP in the confined airgap. Gas concentrations at the inlet and outlet, applied voltage, and voltage across the monitoring capacitance were measured at each of these operating points. Corresponding discharge power, specific energy density (SED), NO_<i>x</i> removal efficiency, and EY were calculated. NTP treatment without any catalysts/adsorbents attained NO_<i>x</i> removal efficiency of 95&#x0025; and above using screw thread electrode, 5 mm rod electrode, pipe electrode and coiled wire electrode configurations. But considering the discharge power, SED, and hence the EY of the process, DBDs with pipe electrode and wire electrode were found to be effective with lower energy consumption. Based on this observation, the selection of appropriate DBD configuration and electrical input parameters can be made according to the intended EY for a specific process.

Electrical Parameters of Nanosecond Dielectric Barrier Discharges (nsDBD)

In this study, an electrical device is proposed to generate plasmas in the nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (nsDBD) configuration and to measure the electrical parameters of the discharge over a large bandwidth. Electrical parameters were experimentally determined using a common dielectric barrier discharge equivalent circuit extended here to high frequencies. An efficient synchronization procedure based on a comparison to circuit simulation results was proposed. Discharge current pulses with rise times less than 1 ns and amplitudes up to 50 A were measured. The energy deposited into the plasma and the discharge resistance were determined as a function of time. In addition, circuit simulations support the experimental approach. The nsDBD was accurately modeled by a resistance of the plasma channel following a Rompe and Weizel law in series with resistance for the discharge spreading along the dielectric surface and a sheath capacitance.

A comparative study of dielectric barrier discharge plasma device and plasma jet to generate plasma activated water and post-discharge trapping of reactive species

This work shows a comparative study of a change in properties of plasma-activated water (PAW) when prepared by using two different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configurations named a pencil plasma jet (PPJ) and a plasma device (PD). The air plasma produced from the DBD-PPJ and DBD-PD is characterized by voltage-current characteristics, and plasma species/radicals are identified using optical emission spectroscopy. Moreover, the present work emphasizes the trapping of reactive species (O3, NOx, etc.) carried by post-discharge residual gases during PAW production. The trapping of these gases' reactive species is carried out in water, which provides a useful by-product named plasma processed water (PPW). The results revealed a higher concentration of reactive oxygen species (dissolved O3 and H2O2) and a lower concentration of reactive nitrogen species (NO3− and NO2− ions) in PAW prepared by the DBD-PPJ configuration compared to the DBD-PD configuration. The trapping of reactive species (O3 and NOx) present in post-discharge residual gases is confirmed by determining the change in physicochemical properties and reactive oxygen–nitrogen species (RONS) concentration in virgin water used as a trapping medium. The high concentration of RONS in PPW showed a high concentration of reactive species in post-discharge residual gases and vice versa. Therefore, the reduction in reactive species downstream of post-discharge residual gases is shown by a substantial decrease in the concentration of RONS and physicochemical properties of PPW. Thus, PAW and PPW (by-product) prepared in this work could be used for multiple applications such as microbial inactivation, food preservation, and agriculture.

Plasma-assisted flame stabilization by AC dielectric barrier discharge in burst mode

Compared to the continuous mode of a high-frequency alternating current (HFAC) source, the burst mode is believed to be capable of controlling flow and combustion while saving discharge energy. Thus, the effect of burst mode on plasma-assisted flame stabilization, which is driven by an HFAC source, is investigated based on a plasma manipulation diffusion flame experiment system. A specially designed injector with a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge configuration is used to generate a methane-air diffusion flame and air plasma. The influence of the actuating parameters of the burst mode on plasma flame stabilization and the discharge power consumption are studied. The results show that the plasma injector has the typical volt–ampere characteristics of dielectric barrier discharge. The discharge clearly exhibits regular unsteady operation characteristics when the source is in burst mode. Two flame stability thresholds are found with increasing discharge voltage. According to the first and second flame stability threshold values and the flame pattern, raising the control frequency and the duty cycle is favorable for flame stabilization. However, for a fixed duty cycle of 50%, because the time scale of the actuator-off duration is longer than that of combustion, when the control frequency is too low, the flame cannot be stabilized even though the applied voltage is very high. For a fixed control frequency of 100 Hz, the flame is also difficult to stabilize when the duty cycle is too small. Mainly due to the unsteady gasdynamic effects of plasma in the burst mode, this approach can achieve the same flame stabilization effect as that of the continuous mode while reducing the energy consumption. The cost-effectiveness ratios of the two optimum actuation schemes are only 6.4% and 10.1%. In addition, the burst mode is better than the continuous mode in avoiding undesirable arc discharge. To better stabilize the flame while maintaining a relatively low cost-effectiveness ratio, actuator setting schemes with high frequency and a small duty cycle should be selected.

Non-thermal plasma irradiated polyaluminum chloride for the heterogeneous adsorption enhancement of Cs+ and Sr2+ in a binary system

The natural ecosystem will continually deteriorate for decades by the leakage of Cs and Sr isotopes. The exploration of the new materials or techniques for the efficient treatment of radioactive wastewater is critically important. In this study, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configuration was constructed to operate the non-thermal plasma (NTP). The NTP was incorporated into the synthesis of polyaluminum chloride (PAC) in two different procedures to intensify the synthesis of PAC (NTP-PAC) and enhance the further removal of Cs and Sr from wastewater. The employment of NTP in two procedures both had significantly changed the physicochemical characteristics of PAC materials, which facilitated the further adsorption application of NTP-PAC on the treatment of Cs+ and Sr2+. Different molecular, morphological, and adsorption characteristics were confirmed to the NTP-PAC materials. The heterogeneous adsorption of the NTP-PAC can be appropriately fitted by both the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the Elovich model. Both physisorption and chemisorption reaction mechanisms were ensured for the heterogeneous adsorption of the NTP-PAC material towards Cs+ and Sr2+, which guaranteed the excellent adsorption performance of NTP-PAC materials compared to PAC. The electron collisions caused by NTP with alum pulp created highly reactive growth precursors and intensified the nucleation and hydrolysis polymerization of PAC. The employment of NTP explicitly broadens the reaction pathways between PAC and cationic contaminants in the aqueous environment, which expands the application area of PAC materials in environmental sustainability.

Optimal Power of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet with a Simple DBD Configuration for Biological Application

The new strategy, non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma (N-APP), as a ’physical’ method, could offer a simple, fast, effective, and economic way of disinfection of equipment, surfaces, a method that is unlikely to cause micro-organisms resistance, or allergic, and toxic reactions. Recently, cold physical plasma had been extensively studied by researchers as a possible therapy in dentistry and oncology, as well as the application of non-thermal plasma in biomedical researches such as wound healing. In clinical dermatology, cold plasmas are mainly used for the treatment of chronic wounds and pathogen-based skin diseases, in which stimulation of tissue repair and decontamination. In this research, the characterization of home-made Helium Non-Equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet (He -NAPPJ), that had been generated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configuration for exceptional standardization protocol of this plasma source that meets medical requirements. The device equipped with two powered electrodes as well as a grounded electrode, driven by an (8 kVp-p) voltage, the frequency (12 kHz), and the distance between the nozzle of the plasma jet and the target were used as constant data. As a working gas, the Helium gas (He) was used in different flow rates (2, 4, 6, and 8) slm. The optical emission spectroscopy was used to measure the plasma parameters, of which the electronic excitation temperature and density of electrons were determined by the Boltzmann’s plot method and Stark broadening effect equation respectively. The result of the emission line spectrum showed the presence of nitrogen and oxygen between lines 300 nm until 700 nm. Nitrogen and oxygen are involved in the oxidation process which is known as Reactive Nitrogen species and reactive oxygen species. These species are the main key in bacteria inactivation and the wound healing process. Furthermore, the results had revealed, the optimal condition using the flow rate (6 slm) with 32 °C He gas temperature that had been stabilized for 20 min, plume length 40 mm, The distance is 15 mm from the distal end of the Pyrex tube (DBD) and the wound surface, the power density 44 mWatt/cm2, and plasma radiation energy dose: 76 J/cm2. These results were considered in this study as a safe operating condition for biomedical applications.

Ozone generation enhanced by silica catalyst in packed-bed DBD reactor

In this paper, three dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configurations, which were plain DBD with no packing, DBD with packed pure quartz fibers and DBD with packed loaded quartz fibers, were employed to investigate the effect and catalytic mechanism of catalyst materials in a packed-bed ozone generator. From the experimental results, it was clear that the DBD configuration with packed pure fibers and packed loaded fibers promotes ozone generation. For the packed-bed reactor, ozone concentration and ozone yield were enhanced by an increase of electric field in the discharge gap with the packed-bed effect. Meanwhile, the enhancement of ozone concentration and yield for the DBD reactor packed by loaded fibers with silica nanoparticles was due to the catalysis of silica nanoparticles on the fiber surface. The adsorption of silica nanoparticles on the fiber surface can prolong the retention time of active species and enhance surface reactions.

Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy of ethyl lactate decomposition and thin‐film coating in a filamentary and a glow dielectric barrier discharge

AbstractGlow and filamentary regimes of atmospheric pressure plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition in a planar dielectric barrier discharge configuration were compared for thin‐film deposition from ethyl lactate (EL). EL decomposition in the plasma phase and thin‐film composition were both characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy. EL chemical bonds' concentration along the gas flow decreases progressively in the glow dielectric barrier discharge (GDBD), whereas it drastically oscillates in the filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (FDBD), with values higher than that of the initial mixture. EL decomposition route depends on the discharge regime, as the decrease of the concentration of the different investigated bonds is different for an identical amount of energy provided to EL molecules. CO2 is systematically formed reaching concentrations of 25 and 40 ppm, respectively, in FDBD and GDBD.

Properties of DBD Plasma Jets Using Powered Electrode With and Without Contact With the Plasma

An experimental investigation comparing the properties of plasma jets in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configurations using a powered electrode with and without a dielectric barrier, while keeping a second dielectric barrier over the grounded electrode, is reported in this work. For this purpose, two different power sources were used to produce the plasma jets, with one of them producing a pulsed high-voltage (HV) output and the other one producing a pulse-like HV output, which consists of a damped sine HV waveform. Measurements of plasma parameters were performed for both configurations using argon and helium as working gases. As a result, if the pulsed power source is used, significant differences were found in discharge power ($P_{plasma}$), rotational and vibrational temperatures ($T_r$ and $T_v$, respectively) when switching from one configuration to the other. On the other hand, using the pulse-like HV only the $P_{plasma}$ parameter presented significant differences when switching the electrode's configuration. For the pulsed source it has been observed that despite the remarkable increase in $P_{plasma}$ when changing from the double barrier configuration to the single barrier one, the values obtained for $T_r$ and $T_v$ also increased, but not in the same proportion as the increase in $P_{plasma}$, which suggests a non-linear dependency between temperatures and discharge power in the plasma jet. As an example for application of plasmas in both configurations, tests in an attempt to remove copper films deposited on alumina substrates were performed and, as a result, there was significant material removal only when the powered electrode was in contact with the plasma. As a general conclusion, if higher power is really required for some application it is better to use this configuration.

Gas-phase isopropanol degradation by nonthermal plasma combined with Mn-Cu/-Al2O3.

In this study, the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) induced by nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology was used for isopropanol (IPA) degradation. IPA, intermediate, final product, and ozone concentrations were analyzed using GC-MS, carbon dioxide detector, and ozone detector. The experimental flow rate and concentration were fixed to 1 L/min and 1200 ppm ± 10%, respectively. Different reaction procedures were proposed for self-made metal catalyst combined with a plasma system (plasma alone and γ-Al2O3 combined with plasma, Cu (5 wt%)/γ-Al2O3 combined with plasma, Mn (3 wt%)-Cu (5 wt%)/γ-Al2O3 combined with plasma). In addition, the effect of the carrier gas oxygen content (0%, 20%, and 100%) on IPA conversion and intermediate and carbon dioxide selectivity was also investigated. The results revealed that the Mn (F)-Cu/γ-Al2O3 combined with plasma exhibited more efficient IPA conversion. In the 100% oxygen environment, the IPA conversion rate increased from 79.32 to 99.99%, and carbon dioxide selectivity increased from 3.82 to 50.23%. IPA was completely converted after 60 min of plasma treatment with the acetone selectivity, carbon dioxide selectivity, and tail ozone concentration of 26.71% ± 1.27%, 50.23% ± 0.56%, and 1761 ± 11 ppm, respectively. This study proved that the current single planar DBD configuration is an effective advanced treatment technology for the decomposition of VOCs.

Development of a small-scale helical surface dielectric barrier discharge for characterizing plasma–surface interfaces

Understanding plasma–surface interactions is important in a variety of emerging research areas, including sustainable energy, environmental remediation, medicine, and high-value manufacturing. Plasma-based technologies in these applications utilize surface chemistry driven by species created in the plasma or at a plasma–surface interface. Here, we develop a helical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configuration to produce a small-scale plasma that can be implemented in a diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) cell and integrated with a commercial Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer instrument to study plasma interactions with inert or catalytic solid media. The design utilizes the entire surface of a cylinder as its dielectric, enhancing the plasma contact area with a packed bed. In this study, we characterize the electrical and visual properties of the helical DBD design in an empty reaction cell and with added potassium bromide (KBr) powder packing material in both air and argon gas environments at ambient conditions. The new surface DBD configuration was integrated into a DRIFTS cell and the time evolution of water desorbing from the KBr packed bed was investigated. Measurements show that this configuration can be operated in filamentary or glow-like mode depending on the gas composition and the water content absorbed on KBr solid media. These results not only set the basis for the study of plasma–surface interactions using a commercial FTIR, but also show that controlling the gas environment and water content in a packed bed might be useful for studying different plasma regimes that are typically not possible at atmospheric pressure.

Surface modification of activated carbon using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma jet

We successfully modified an activated carbon layer using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet. The plasma was generated in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) configuration using Cu wire and Cu tape separated by dielectric glass with an inner diameter of ∼1 mm. An alternating current of 1.5 kV was supplied to the electrodes to generate the plasma using a mixture of Ar gas and ammonia vapor at varied flow speeds of 1 to 7 L/min for one-minute treatment. The changes to the wettability of the carbon surface were estimated from the contact angle of a water drop. After plasma treatment, a significant improvement in the surface hydrophilicity was observed. The contact angle decreased to ∼6° from its initial contact angle of 74°. This hydrophilic property was likely due to the successful attachment of an amino group supplied by the NH3 plasma. An amino-functional group was covalently bound to the carbon, which happened after etching by Ar plasma during the plasma jet processing. In addition, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) profiles were taken to provide definitive proof of the suggested amino surface modification. Overall, the plasma treatment described in the present study may become a tool in surface treatment modification applications conducted in atmospheric conditions for carbon-based materials.