Argon Pressure Research Articles

Synthesis of cast materials based on MAX phases in Cr–Ti–Al–C system

Two variants of the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis process, namely SHS from elements and SHS metallurgy, were combined to obtain cast materials based on the MAX phases of Cr2AlC and (Cr0,7Ti0,3)2AlC. Experiments involved mixtures with compositions calculated according to the chemical scheme 70%(Cr2O3 + 3Al + C)/(2Ti + Al + C) + + 30%(3CaO2 + 2Al). Synthesis was carried out in a 3 l reactor at an argon pressure of 5 MPa. The structure and phase composition of the reaction product were studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found during the research that the ratio of original reagents has a significant effect on the synthesis parameters and phase composition of desired products. The possibility of obtaining a cast material based on the titanium-doped Cr2AlC phase was shown. It was found that the resulting product is a composite material based on the (Cr1–хTiх)2AlC (х = 0,18÷0,28) phase, and the content of this phase is 43–62 wt.% depending on the original ratio of reagents. The material microstructure features by the presence of laminate layers with carbide grain inclusions. The end product contains carbide (Ti0,9Cr0,1C, Cr7C3, Cr3С2)and intermetallic (Al8Cr5, AlTi3) impurities due to the insufficient life time of a melt formed in the combustion wave.

Behavior of micro pillar array column in high pressure gas chromatography

Micro pillar array column with interpillar distance of 2.5 µm for pillars diameter of 5 µm has been introduced in high pressure gas chromatographic systems for online industrial analysis. Separation of gas mixtures have been performed under carrier gas pressure as high as 60 bar using rotating valve for gas injection without sample decompression stage prior to injection. A very low intrinsic height equivalent to a theoretical plate value of 14 µm has been obtained in few seconds. Instead of conventional gas chromatography, carrier gas nature such as helium, argon and carbon dioxide and pressure can be used to tune the selectivity. Liquid hydrocarbon samples have been successfully introduced in the column using a septum based split/splitless injector modified to work up to 40 bar. Separations of VOCs and gasoline samples have been successfully performed.

Magnetic and Pressure Effects on E–H Mode Transition Power and Electron Energy Distribution in Helical Antenna-Coupled RF Plasma

We used helical antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) plasmas to study the evolution of the mode transition power and electron kinetics under different applied magnetic fields and argon pressures. Langmuir probe and emission spectrum data indicate that the discharge mode changes from the capacitive coupling E mode to the inductive coupling H mode through a strong mixed mode (E + H). One reason for this strongly mixed ionization is the antenna structure, which increases the capacitive coupling. Furthermore, the $\text{E}\to \text{H}$ transition threshold power decreases with increasing pressure regardless of whether there is a magnetic field, and the presence of the magnetic field significantly increases the transition power. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF) curve has a Druyvesteyn shape at low RF power (E mode). The presence of a magnetic field increases the electron energy range, and the binding of the electrons by the magnetic field causes the EEDF to deviate significantly from the Maxwellian shape. As RF power increases, the EEDF tends toward the Maxwellian shape during the transition from the E mode to the H mode. The magnetic field appears to act like a drag on this process, particularly at very low pressures.

Diagnostics of a high-pressure DC magnetron argon discharge with an aluminium cathode

In this article, the plasma parameters of a direct current magnetron discharge in argon at moderate pressure (10 to 40 Pa) using an aluminium cathode are explored. The density of argon excited states, the sputtered aluminium atom density and the electron temperature are estimated using a collisional–radiative model. The electron temperature obtained using optical emission spectroscopic data agrees well with measurements taken using a Langmuir probe. The influence of the discharge parameters, namely the background argon pressure and the discharge current, are discussed.

Excitation of helical shape argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet using RF pulse modulation

The article reports the excitation of a helical argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet using a pulse-modulated 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF) power source. This helical structure is observed in open ambient air, which is far different from the conventional conical shape. This helical structure originates due to the periodic pressure variation in the discharge region caused by pulse-modulated RF (2 kHz modulation frequency) and propagates downstream into the ambient air. The geometrical characteristics of the observed structure are explored using optical imaging. Moreover, the influence of various input parameters, viz., duty cycle, gas flow rate, and RF power, of the modulated pulse on the formation of a helical structure are studied. These helical structures have an implication on the plasma jet chemical features (enhancement of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species) as these are involved in an increase in air entrainment into the ionization region desired for various plasma applications.

Influence of a magnetic field on an extreme ultraviolet photon-induced plasma afterglow

Understanding extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photon-induced plasma dynamics is key to increasing the lifetime of the new generation of lithography machines. The plasma decay times were determined by means of a non-destructive microwave method, microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy, for unmagnetized and magnetized EUV photon-induced plasma afterglows with the argon pressure ranging from 0.002 to 10 Pa. As a result of an external magnet with a magnetic field strength of (57 ± 1) mT, the plasma decay times were extended by two orders of magnitude. Good agreement was found between these measured plasma decay times and four diffusion models, i.e. the ion acoustic, ambipolar, classical-collision, and Bohm’s diffusion model.

Manufacturing and Characterization of Open-Cell Aluminum Foam Produced via Infiltration of Leachable Space Holder

Open-cell Al-Si foam samples were produced using infiltration casting technique. The metal infiltration process was performed in a specially designed and built setup consisting of a vertical chamber resistance furnace, a pressurization chamber connected to an Argon gas cylinder through a control manifold. To control the relative density of the produced foams, non-compacted and compacted preforms (5 MPa) were prepared from 2 or 4 mm NaCl particles. The compaction was performed using a hydraulic press in the same infiltration chamber. Argon pressure of 3 bars was applied to infiltrate the preforms with the aluminum alloy after melting at 750 °C. The produced aluminum foam specimens show no lack of filling, a high degree of preform replication, and good homogeneity of pore sizes. The preliminary physical and mechanical characterization tests, including relative density, plateau stress, densification strain, and elastic modulus of the foam, are comparable to the values reported in previous investigations, in which more complicated, time-consuming, higher energy, and costly techniques were used. Further investigations on wider ranges of particle sizes, compaction, and infiltration pressures are currently in progress.

Plasma-Induced Hemi-Wicking on Sanded Polymer Surfaces

In this paper, a plasma-induced hemi-wicking phenomenon observed on hydrophobic sanded polymer surfaces, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE) is reported. An atmospheric-pressure argon plasma jet was used to treat a limited area of the carefully sanded polymer surfaces to induce the hemi-wicking phenomenon. Such hemi-wicking triggered by the plasma activation is different from the traditional type, which is achieved purely by the surface topography. Surface analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact analysis (WCA) show that the combination of sanding and plasma treatment increased the oxygen-to-carbon ratio, which is highly beneficial for surface hydrophilicity. The shear stress tests show that the combination of sanding and plasma treatment can enhance the shear stress by 125%, 95%, and 296% on PP, PET, and PE, respectively. The study shows that the newly developed technique by combining the sanding and plasma processing for polymers could be a potentially useful method in future industry applications.

Simulation of the effect of argon pressure on thermal processes in the sputtering unit of a magnetron with a hot target

In this work, thermal processes occurring in the sputtering unit of a DC magnetron with a hot titanium target are studied. The processes are described within the framework of a stationary heat problem with a surface source using a three-dimensional homogeneous Fourier equation. The problem was solved numerically using the Heat Transfer Module of the COMSOL Multiphysics software. The novelty of the work is the creation of a 3D model of a vacuum chamber with a sputtering unit attached to it. In this case, in the boundary conditions, the heat removal from the target of the sputtering unit is specified, not only in the form of radiation and by the elements of the target attachment, but also due to the thermal conductivity of the gas. The effective temperature of the target surface is revealed to be dependent on the discharge current and pressure exponentially. The simulation results conform with the experimental data.

Influence of air addition on surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate treated by an atmospheric pressure argon plasma brush

An atmospheric pressure argon plasma brush with air addition is employed to treat polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface in order to improve its hydrophilicity. Results indicate that the plasma plume generated by the plasma brush presents periodically pulsed current despite a direct current voltage is applied. Voltage−current curve reveals that there is a transition from a Townsend discharge regime to a glow one during one discharge period. Optical emission spectrum indicates that more oxygen atoms are produced in the plume with increasing air content, which leads to the better hydrophilicity of PET surface after plasma treatment. Besides, an aging behavior is also observed. The hydrophilicity improvement is attributed to the production of oxygen functional groups, which increase in number with increasing air content. Moreover, some grain-like structures are observed on the treated PET surface, and its mean roughness increases with increasing air content. These results are of great importance for the hydrophilicity improvement of PET surface with a large scale.

Ppb level detection of carbonyl sulfide and ethene and study resonant frequencies using laser photoacoustic spectroscopy

AbstractLaser photoacoustic spectroscopy is a laser measurement method with high sensitivity, good selectivity, nondestructive, and fast response (real‐time). In the present work, to detect carbonyl sulfide and ethene gases and measure resonant frequencies and signals, the photoacoustic spectroscopy system was designed and set up. The detection limit of this system to trace ethene and carbonyl sulfide was measured 3 ppb and 8 ppb, respectively. Also, for these two gases at the presence of different buffer gases, the resonant frequency and photoacoustic signal were recorded. The results showed that among the used buffer gases, xenon has the best acoustic performance and gives the highest photoacoustic signal. The signal also increased with increasing pressure of buffer gas, because increasing the pressure leads to improved collisional processes. The study of resonant frequencies of this system for these two gases in the presence of buffer gases showed that with increasing the pressure of xenon, argon, and nitrogen buffer gases from 65 to 765 Torr, the resonant frequency does not change significantly. But in the case of helium buffer gas, these resonant frequency changes are significant, and as the helium pressure increases by 65 to 765 Torr, the resonant frequencies of carbonyl sulfide and ethene change from 2016 to 2630 Hz and from 2100 to 2740 Hz, respectively. The reason for the different behavior of helium is the higher speed of sound in helium than in other buffer gases.

A Cylindrical Triode Ultrahigh Vacuum Ionization Gauge with a Carbon Nanotube Cathode.

In this study, a cylindrical triode ultrahigh vacuum ionization gauge with a screen-printed carbon nanotube (CNT) electron source was developed, and its metrological performance in different gases was systematically investigated using an ultrahigh vacuum system. The resulting ionization gauge with a CNT cathode responded linearly to nitrogen, argon, and air pressures in the range from ~4.0 ± 1.0 × 10−7 to 6 × 10−4 Pa, which is the first reported CNT emitter-based ionization gauge whose lower limit of pressure measurement is lower than its hot cathode counterpart. In addition, the sensitivities of this novel gauge were ~0.05 Pa−1 for nitrogen, ~0.06 Pa−1 for argon, and ~0.04 Pa−1 for air, respectively. The trend of sensitivity with anode voltage, obtained by the experimental method, was roughly consistent with that gained through theoretical simulation. The advantages of the present sensor (including low power consumption for electron emissions, invisible to infrared light radiation and thermal radiation, high stability, etc.) mean that it has potential applications in space exploration.

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology for Modifying Polymers to Enhance Adhesion: A Critical Review

This review summarizes the results of cold atmospheric pressure plasma technology application in polymers surface treatment. Attention is given to results of changes in the hydrophilic property of polymer surfaces by incorporation of polar functional groups when exposed to atmospheric pressure plasma, depending on the time of treatment, applied voltage, gas flow rate, and distance from the surface. We have successfully developed a plasma device that is able to generate cold atmospheric pressure argon plasma of low temperature (20 – 26) ° C downstream using a high-voltage power source which can be widely used in materials processing. Therefore, a cost-effective system of generating a plasma jet at atmospheric pressure with potential applications has been developed. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (CAPPJ) has shown a lot of applications in recent years such as in materials processing, surface modification, and biomedical materials processing. CAPPJ has been generated by a high voltage (0-20 kV) and high frequency (20-30 kHz) power supply.<br/> The discharge has been characterized by optical and electrical methods. In order to characterize cold atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet, its electron density, electron temperature, rotational temperature, and vibration temperature have been determined using the power balance method, intensity ratio method, Stark broadening method, and Boltzmann plot method, respectively. The improvement in hydrophilicity of the cold plasma-treated polymer samples was characterized by contact angle measurements, surface free energy analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Contact angle analysis showed that the discharge was effective in improving the wettability of polymers after the treatment. Furthermore, atmospheric plasma can be effectively used to remove surface contamination and to chemically modify different polymer surfaces. The chemical changes, especially oxidation and cross-linking, enhance the surface properties of the polymers.

Discharge parameters of a magnetron with a molybdenum target

In this work, we study the features of the discharge of a magnetron with a cold molybdenum target in an argon environment using a Langmuir probe. The novelty of this work is due to the placement of the probe near the anode. I-V characteristics of the probe were measured in the range of discharge current densities of 27–96 mA/cm2 at argon pressures of 2 – 4 mTorr. The experimental I-V characteristics of the probe were used to calculate the electron temperature, ion and electron density. It was found that the density of charge carriers increases and the electron temperature decreases with an increase in the discharge current. In addition, it was found that the density of ions near the anode is almost an order of magnitude lower than the density of electrons, and the electron temperature weakly depends on the argon pressure.

One-step epitaxy of high-mobility La-doped BaSnO3 films by high-pressure magnetron sputtering

As unique perovskite transparent oxide semiconductors, high-mobility La-doped BaSnO3 films have been successfully synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy and pulsed laser deposition. However, it remains a big challenge for magnetron sputtering, a widely applied technique suitable for large-scale fabrication, to grow high-mobility La-doped BaSnO3 films. In this work, we developed a method to synthesize high-mobility epitaxial La-doped BaSnO3 films (with mobility up to 121 cm2 V−1 s−1 at the carrier density of ∼4.0 × 1020 cm−3 at room temperature) directly on SrTiO3 single crystal substrates using high-pressure magnetron sputtering. The structural and electrical properties of La-doped BaSnO3 films were characterized by combined high-resolution x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and temperature-dependent electrical transport measurements. The room-temperature electron mobility of La-doped BaSnO3 films achieved in this work is two to four times higher than the reported values of the films grown by magnetron sputtering. Moreover, in the high carrier density range (n > 3 × 1020 cm−3), the electron mobility value of 121 cm2 V−1 s−1 achieved in our work is among the highest values for all reported doped BaSnO3 films. It is revealed that high argon pressure during sputtering plays a vital role in stabilizing the fully relaxed films and inducing oxygen vacancies, which facilitates high mobility at room temperature. Our work provides an easy and economical way to massively synthesize high-mobility transparent conducting films for transparent electronics.

Optimum silver contact sputtering parameters for efficient perovskite solar cell fabrication

The use of magnetron sputtering for deposition of the metal electrode in perovskite solar cells has been limited because of the damage to the organic hole transport layer by high kinetic energy particles during the sputtering process. In this paper, a systematic investigation into the effect of sputtering power, argon flow rate, sputtering duration, and argon pressure on the performance of the perovskite cells was conducted. The results of this work show that high power conversion efficiency of 18.35% was obtained for solution-processed, air-fabricated perovskite solar cells with Ag contact prepared using magnetron sputtering. The devices also exhibit an excellent short-current density of 22.56 mA/cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 1.10 V and a fill factor of 73.7%. The investigation reveals that sputtering power is the most critical factor that needs to be carefully controlled to minimise the damage to the hole transport layer. This study demonstrates that highly efficient perovskite solar cells can be fabricated using magnetron sputtering if the sputtering parameters are optimised.

Annealing study on the properties of Cu-based Nb3Sn films under argon pressures for SRF applications

Nb3Sn is an alternative material for future superconducting accelerators. With its higher critical temperature and superheating field than that of niobium, its application in the field of SRF is a great advantage. In this paper, the magnetron sputtering method is applied to prepare the Nb3Sn thin film on the oxygen-free copper substrate by the stoichiometric target—the ratio of 3:1 of niobium to tin, so as to explore the effect of different annealing air pressures on the properties of the film in detail. The film crystal structure, morphology, composition, and superconducting critical temperature were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, and MPMS. After in-situ annealing, XRD and MPMS reveal the existence of Nb3Sn crystal. The compact film with good surface properties is free of cracks and tin islands. The superconducting critical temperature reaches 13.6 K. The results show that if annealing was conducted in Ar atmosphere at 1 Pa, the obtained film exhibits better performance with a sharp transition from the superconducting state to the normal state.

An improved conversion of the microwave energy into plasma in an optimized microwave plasma sheet source at 2.45 GHz designed for surface treatment

Efficient conversion of the microwave energy into an atmospheric-pressure argon plasma in a microwave plasma sheet source (MPSS) operating at 2.45 GHz in ambient air is the subject of this work. The MPSSs, capable of providing an atmospheric pressure plasma in the shape of a narrow sheet are an innovative technology for variety of surface treatments with no impact on the environment. The existing designs of the MPSS exhibit unsatisfactory efficiency of the conversion of microwave energy produced by the microwave source into the microwave plasma (about 80%), which hinders implementation of the MPSSs in the industry. In this paper, after an analytical approach based on the equivalent electrical circuit method we proposed an optimization of the design of MPSS in terms of the microwave energy conversion efficiency. The MPSS design improvement consisted in reducing the electrical impedance in the input plane of the MPSS by introducing a capacitive diaphragm into the MPSS transmission line, which compensated the inductive character of the plasma sheet. The experimental measurement of the electrodynamic characteristics of the MPSS with diaphragm showed that using the diaphragm significantly decreased the microwave power losses due to the microwave reflection from about (20–30)% to a level of several percent. This substantially increased the MPSS energy conversion efficiency up to about 97%, 93% and 87% for incident powers P I of 500 W, 750 W and 1000 W, respectively. The electrodynamic characteristics of the MPSS appeared a very convenient tool for determining the conditions of maximum efficiency of conversion of the microwave energy into the microwave plasma. The electrodynamic characteristics were measured at argon flow rate of 20 Nl min−1. The analysis of the calculated input impedances of the MPSSs with and without diaphragm, based on the equivalent electrical circuits of both MPSSs confirmed that the change of the character of the input reactance of the MPSS from inductive to capacitive after introducing the diaphragm is the cause of the increase in the MPSS energy conversion efficiency. The MPSSs having the energy conversion efficiency such high as presented in this paper appears to be attractive innovative technology for economic use in industrial applications.

Evolution of the microstructure of sputter deposited TaAlON thin films with increasing oxygen partial pressure

Abstract Recently, quaternary oxynitrides of transition metals and aluminum have attracted increasing interest due to their tunable properties. Within the present work, a series of TaAl(O)N films was sputter deposited using constant nitrogen and varying oxygen partial pressures. The films were grown from single element Ta and Al targets. The deposition parameters were adjusted to obtain a Ta/Al atomic ratio of ~50/50 for the oxygen-free film and were held constant for the following depositions, with the exception of the increasing oxygen partial pressure and compensatory decreasing argon partial pressure. Elastic recoil detection analysis revealed oxygen contents of up to ~26 at.%, while the nitrogen content decreased from ~47 at.% in the oxygen-free film to ~35 at.% in the film with the highest oxygen content, resulting in a significant decrease of the metal/non-metal ratio with increasing oxygen partial pressure. The micro- and bonding structures of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. All films exhibited a dominating face-centered cubic TaN-based structure with indications for additional nanocrystalline and amorphous phase fractions in the oxygen containing films. In addition, the mechanical properties were evaluated by nanoindentation, yielding a decreasing hardness and elastic modulus with increasing oxygen content.

Assessment of quality and safety of pork treated with low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma

It is known that processing methods ensuring partial or full microbial inactivation are quite limited. Therefore, it is of great interest to develop technique and technologies allowing the effective action on microorganisms without a significant influence on product properties. The use of cold plasma can be one of the promising methods of meat product treatment by cold sterilization. The present work examines a possibility of chilled meat treatment with low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasma to increase its stability to microbial spoilage and extend shelf life. To obtain low temperature plasma, the equipment developed by the designing department “Plasmamed” was used. Chilled meat was treated with low-temperature atmospheric-pressure argon plasma for 5, 10, 20 and 30 min. Samples were stored at a temperature of 2–4 °C for 10 days. Organoleptic indices, moisture weight fraction, changes in pH and water activity were analyzed before treatment and during storage. Sanitary microbiological analyses were carried out by the following indicators: quantity of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (QMAFAnM), the presence and quantity of coliforms, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Proteus. It was shown that meat cold treatment with argon plasma inhibited the development of mesophilic microorganisms. The colony forming units detected in the samples after ten days of storage were determined by the duration of exposure to plasma. It was proved that meat treatment for 15 and 30 min had the bactericidal effect and facilitated an improvement in meat color during storage. The organoleptic indices of the samples treated with plasma corresponded to the requirements of standards and approved consumer characteristics.