Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Research Articles

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma-assisted catalytic ammonia synthesis: synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74 catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma

Ammonia is one of the most important chemical raw materials in both manufacture and life of human. Traditionally Haber-Bosch method for ammonia synthesis involves high temperature and high pressure conditions, leading to significant energy consumption and environmental pollution. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is a promising alternative approach to ammonia synthesis at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. In this study, the synergistic effect of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (np-DBD) and Ni-MOF-74 catalyst was investigated in ammonia synthesis by utilizing nitrogen and hydrogen as feedstock. The results demonstrated that the plasma catalytic-synthesis process parameters play a crucial role in the synthesis process of ammonia. The highest ammonia synthesis rate of 5145.16 μmol·g−1·h−1 with an energy efficiency of 1.27 g·kWh−1 was observed in the presence of the Ni-MOF-74 catalyst, which was 3.7 times higher than that without Ni-MOF-74 catalyst. The synergistic effect of Ni-MOF-74 catalyst and nanosecond pulsed plasma was explored by in-situ plasma discharge diagnostics.

Air disinfection by nanosecond pulsed DBD plasma

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma is an emerging and promising technique for air disinfection in public environments. Power supply is a crucial factor but it remains unclear about its impacts on the air disinfection performance of plasmas. In this work, a nanosecond (ns) pulsed power supply was applied to drive an in-duct grating-like DBD array to achieve fast single-pass air disinfection. The influence of pulse parameters and environmental factors on both the discharge characteristics and the single-pass bacterial inactivation efficiency were uncovered. At a close relative humidity (RH) level, the efficiency was dominated by the discharge power, namely, specific input energy could serve as the disinfection dose. A higher frequency, shorter pulse rising time, and suitable pulse width are preferred to obtain a higher Z value. The pulsed source was not notably superior to an alternating current source, or even worse at a low voltage frequency at the same discharge power. Airflow humidity was a predominant factor to improve the efficiency and a single-pass efficiency of ∼ 99% and a Z value of 2.2 L/J were achieved under an optimal RH of 50%–60%. This work provides fundamental knowledge of ns-pulsed DBD on discharge characteristics and air disinfection behaviors.

On the evolution and formation of discharge morphology in pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

The discharge morphology of pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (PDBD) plays important roles in its applications. Here, we systematically investigated the effects of the voltage amplitude, discharge gap, and O2 content on the PDBD morphology, and revealed the possible underlying mechanism of the U-shaped formation. First, the morphological evolution under different conditions was recorded. A unique U-shaped region appears in the middle edge region when the gap is larger than 2 mm, while the entire discharge region remains columnar under a 2 mm gap in He PDBD. The width of the discharge and the U-shaped region increase with the increase in voltage, and decrease with the increase of the gap and O2 content. To explain this phenomenon, a two-dimensional symmetric model was developed to simulate the spatiotemporal evolution of different species and calculate the electric thrust. The discharge morphology evolution directly corresponds to the excited-state atomic reduction process. The electric thrust on the charged particles mainly determines the reaction region and strongly influences the U-shaped formation. When the gap is less than 2 mm, the electric thrust is homogeneous throughout the entire region, resulting in a columnar shape. However, when the gap is larger than 2 mm or O2 is added, the electric thrust in the edge region becomes greater than that in the middle, leading to the U-shaped formation. Furthermore, in He PDBD, the charged particles generating electric thrust are mainly electrons and helium ions, while in He/O2 PDBD those that generate electric thrust at the outer edge of the electrode surface are mainly various oxygen-containing ions.

Plasma characteristics and de-icing of three-electrode double-sided pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge

Ice accumulation on aircraft can lead to aerodynamic performance degradation and even trigger security incidents. However, traditional surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) reactors cannot work while covered by glaze ice. In the present work, a novel three-electrode double-sided SDBD is proposed and employed for glaze ice deicing. Compared with traditional SDBD reactor, three-electrode double-sided SDBD introduces an additional discharge area and grounding electrode. On one hand, the heat generated in the additional discharge area can melt the glaze ice covered on the high-voltage electrode, providing a discharge gap for the subsequent discharge. On the other hand, the introduction of the additional grounding electrode can also dramatically enhance the upper discharge and thermal effect. As a result, compared with the three-electrode single-sided SDBD and two-electrode double-sided SDBD, the three-electrode double-sided SDBD has the highest deposited energy, maximal temperature, and deicing rate. To further optimize the structural design, the effect of air gap length below the dielectric on three-electrode double-sided SDBD is investigated. And it is found that the best deicing performance can be obtained at the air gap length of 1 mm.

Deicing and status characteristics of dual-side pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge

The deicing process and its status characteristics of dual-side pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) are studied via electro-optical diagnostics, thermal properties, and numerical simulation. Experimental results show that the dual-side pulsed SDBD can remove the glaze ice compared to the traditional pulsed SDBD under the applied pulse voltage of 8 kV and a pulse frequency of 1 kHz. The maximal temperature of dual-side pulsed SDBD reaches 39.5 °C under the discharge time of 800 s, while the maximal temperature of traditional pulsed SDBD is still below ice point about −7.8 °C. Surface temperatures of dual-side pulsed SDBD demonstrate that the SDBD with a gap of 1 mm possesses prospects in deicing. The maximal surface temperature reaches 37.1 °C under the pulse of 8 kV after the discharge time of 90 s. Focusing on the thermal effect, a two-dimensional plasma fluid model is implemented, and the results also indicate that the dual-side pulsed SDBD with a gap of 1 mm produces a highest heat density among the three different configurations. Comparing the spatial-temporal evolutions of plasma on both dielectric sides, primary positive streamer has a longer propagation length of 8.6 mm than the secondary negative streamer, the primary negative streamer, and the secondary positive streamer, which induces a long heat covered area. Four stages of deicing process are analyzed through a series of electrical parameters under different covered ice conditions.

Numerical simulation of streamer, pressure wave, and vortex induced by nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharges

In this study, a two-dimensional fluid model is employed to simulate the streamer, pressure wave, and vortex in surface dielectric barrier discharge driven by nanosecond pulse voltage (ns-SDBD). It comprises a numerical model with two interconnected modules: discharge dynamics and gas flow dynamics. These modules are coupled through the physical variables including ‘EHD force’, ‘thermal source’, ‘velocity field’, ‘gas temperature’, and ‘gas pressure’. Our research primarily focuses on the underlying physical mechanisms of pressure waves and vortices for plasma-based flow control. The generation of pressure waves is attributed to the rapid gas heating by pulsed discharge, whereas the formation and development of the vortex are related to the ionic wind (EHD effect) provided by the plasma. To thoroughly understand and optimize flow control performance, an investigation into the effects of various discharge parameters, such as voltage amplitude and polarity, is conducted. Additionally, several SDBD modules are arranged in series, each featuring a dual three-electrode configuration. Subsequently, the dynamic behaviors of multiple streamers, pressure waves, and vortices, along with their interactions, are explored.

Hydrophilic surface modification of polypropylene by AC-DBD and NS-DBD

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a method to modify material surfaces by creating low-temperature plasma at atmospheric pressure. However, in comparison to low-pressure discharge, atmospheric DBD has the drawback of uneven surface treatment due to the ease of forming filamentary channels. This limitation hinders the widespread application of DBD technology in material surface modification. In this study, the surface of polypropylene (PP) was treated using high frequency alternating current (AC) and nanosecond (NS) pulsed argon DBDs to improve surface hydrophilicity. The changes of the PP surface hydrophilicity and the treatment uniformity were characterized by water contact angle (WCA) measurement. The relationships between the DBD characteristics, the treatment effect and the treatment uniformity of the PP surface were investigated using electrical and optical diagnostic techniques. The PP material surfaces before and after plasma treatments were evaluated by the physical morphology and chemical composition measurements to examine the influence of DBD on the treatment effect and uniformity on the PP material surface. The findings show that the modification by AC-DBD reduces the WCA of PP material surface by 40°∼50° and exhibits a variance of 1.77, indicating an improvement in hydrophilicity to some extent. Furthermore, the modification by NS-DBD further decreases the WCA of PP material surface, reducing the variance to 1.14. Compared with AC-DBD, NS-DBD has a better uniformity, a higher concentration of active particles in plasma, a greater surface roughness of PP material after treatment, a better hydrophilicity and a more uniform effect with less energy consumption. The results are meaningful to improve the application of DBD in material surface modification and optimize the power source election and operation parameters.

Experimental study on the effect of H2O and O2 on the degradation of SF6 by pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

SF6 has excellent insulation performance and arc extinguishing ability, and is widely used in the power industry. However, its global warming potential is about 23,500 times that of CO2, it can exist stably in the atmosphere, it is not easily degradable and is of great potential harm to the environment. Based on pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma technology, the effects of H2O and O2 on the degradation of SF6 were studied. Studies have shown that H2O can effectively promote the decomposition of SF6 and improve its degradation rate and energy efficiency of degradation. Under the action of a pulse input voltage and input frequency of 15 kV and 15 kHz, respectively, when H2O is added alone the effect of 1% H2O is the best, and the rate and energy efficiency of degradation of SF6 reach their maximum values, which are 91.9% and 8.25 g kWh−1, respectively. The synergistic effect of H2O and O2 on the degradation of SF6 was similar to that of H2O. When the concentration of H2O and O2 was 1%, the system obtained the best rate and energy efficiency of degradation, namely 89.7% and 8.05 g kWh−1, respectively. At the same time, different external gases exhibit different capabilities to regulate decomposition products. The addition of H2O can effectively improve the selectivity of SO2. Under the synergistic effect of H2O and O2, with increase in O2 concentration the degradation products gradually transformed into SO2F2. From the perspective of harmless treatment of the degradation products of SF6, the addition of O2 during the SF6 degradation process should be avoided.

Characteristics of high-repetition-rate bipolar pulse DBD under various electrical conditions in atmospheric-pressure air

Numerous studies have been conducted on pulse dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) because it can produce powerful discharges uniformly at atmospheric pressure with a fast rise time. Although much research has been conducted on pulse DBD below 10 kHz, relatively little has been conducted on pulse DBD at high pulse repetition rates (PRRs). Therefore, in this study, the ozone generation and discharge characteristics of bipolar pulse DBD in atmospheric-pressure air at a high PRR of 10 kHz or above were investigated. According to the results of this study, with the exception of electron temperature, most discharge characteristics need for practical applications—like transfer charge, electron density, and discharge uniformity—improved as the voltage and duty ratio increased at high PRR. On the contrary, increasing the PRR exhibited trade-off features like low electron temperature, low discharge uniformity, and a high number of discharges per unit time. Ozone generation demonstrated good results at high voltage, appropriate PRR, and low duty ratio, but applying suitable electrical conditions is crucial considering ozone generation speed and power consumption. The findings of this study will be very beneficial for high-PRR pulse DBD applications that require quick and effective processing. Additionally, they will be useful for researching the characteristics of pulse DBD at high PRR.

Numerical study on the periodic control of supersonic compression corner flow using a nanosecond pulsed plasma actuator

This study investigates the effectiveness of a pulsed nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (NSDBD) plasma actuator for flow control over a supersonic compression corner through numerical simulations. The effects of varying applied voltages, repetitive frequencies, and activated locations of the plasma actuator are examined under large-scale laminar flow separation conditions around a compression corner. The unit Reynolds number and Mach number are 7.8 × 106 m−1 and 4, respectively. The results indicate that the discharge induces a pressure rise and leads to misalignment between the pressure gradient and density gradient in the residual heat region. Because of the interaction between the supersonic freestream and the actuation-induced shock/compression flow, convection, compressibility of the fluid element, and baroclinicity of the residual heat region collectively lead to the formation of an induced spanwise vortex, which in turn enables momentum migration. The induced vortex disrupts the initial flow structures and entrains high-energy fluid from the main flow into the boundary layer, promoting momentum mixing between the main flow and the separated flow, which increases the energy of the boundary layer to resist the adverse pressure gradient. The time-averaged flow structures imply that it is possible to totally eliminate the flow separation near the supersonic compression corner. For aerodynamics on the surface, the normal force produces a pitching moment that can be potentially utilized to control the body's orientation and trajectory. Additionally, total drag on the surface can be reduced by 5 %. This suggests that choosing the most appropriate position based on its local fluid characteristics can strongly increase the control effectiveness.

Stable Surface Modification by Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma: Comparative Study on Cellulose-Based and Synthetic Polymers.

This study's aim is a comparison of the plasma-induced effects on polymers exposed in helium and argon gaseous environments in a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure. Cellulose-based and synthetic polymers are tested with regard to a range of parameters, such as wettability, adhesion, surface energy and polarity, the oxygen amount in their structure, and surface morphology. The surface properties are analyzed by contact angle measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy images. The results point to the efficient and remarkably stable modifications of the plasma-exposed surfaces, such as their enhanced adhesion, surface energy, and oxygen incorporation. Additionally, plasma provides significant oxygen uptake in cellulose-based materials that bear already prior to treatment a high amount of oxygen in their structure. The comparison between the properties of the non-permeable, homogeneous, smooth-surface synthetic polymer and those of the loosely packed, porous, heterogeneous cellulose-based polymers points to the different rates of plasma-induced modification, whereby a progressive alteration of cellulosic surface properties over much larger ranges of exposure durations is noted. Present experimental conditions ensure mild treatments on such sensitive material, such as paper, and this is without alterations of the surface morphology and the physical degradation of the material over a large range of treatment duration.

How pulse energy affects ignition efficiency of DBD plasma-assisted combustion

This work aims to find how coupled energy per pulse influences the ability of a pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to ignite fuel-lean methane–air flow. For that, experiments are performed on a custom-built DBD flow reactor with a variable dielectric thickness and the discharge is operated by bursts of 10 ns duration pulses at 3 kHz repetition rate. With an increase in dielectric thickness, we observe that the coupled energy per pulse decreases even though applied voltage conditions are similar and so more pulses are required to ignite the lean mixture. Interestingly, we observe a significant increase in the minimum ignition energy (MIE) with an increase in the thickness beyond 3 mm. Moreover, the ignition kernel growth rate is much slower in the thicker dielectric cases even though total energy coupling per burst is similar. This phenomenon is investigated further by evaluating plasma parameters using electrical and optical diagnostics. Effective dielectric capacitance, discharge current, and voltage drop across the gas gap are derived from an equivalent circuit analysis, whereas plasma gas temperature and effective reduced electric field ( E/N ) are estimated from optical emission spectroscopy. From these analyses, we conclude that a thicker dielectric limits the discharge current and so the plasma filament temperature. For more than 3 mm thick dielectric cases, the filament heating per pulse is too low to achieve strong enough plasma pulse-to-pulse coupling which eventually leads to higher MIE and slower ignition kernel growth rate or the inability to ignite at all.

Electron characteristics and dynamics in sub-millimeter pulsed atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge

The discharge characteristics and mechanism of sub-millimeter pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric-pressure helium are investigated experimentally and theoretically, demonstrating that when the discharge gap distance is reduced from 1.00 mm to 0.20 mm, the discharge ignition time is reduced to approximately 40 ns and discharge intensity is enhanced in terms of the discharge optical emission intensity and density of the plasma species, (energetic electrons with energy above 8.40 eV). The simulated results show that as the discharge gap distance is further reduced to 0.10 mm, the number of energetic electrons decreases, which is attributable to the contraction of plasma bulk regime and reduction of electron density in the discharge bulk. Conversely, the proportion of energetic electrons to the total electrons in the discharge monotonically increases as the discharge gap distance is reduced from 1.00 mm to 0.10 mm. It is proposed that a gap distance of 0.12 mm is optimal to achieve a high concentration and proportion of energetic electrons in sub-millimeter pulsed atmosphere dielectric barrier discharge.

Numerical modeling of plasma assisted ignition of CH4/O2/He mixture by the nanosecond repetitive pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge

A nanosecond repetitive pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (NRP-SDBD) is a promising method for generation of non-equilibrium plasma with more kinetic activity. This paper presents numerical studies on the effects of pulse repetition frequency (PRF) on low temperature ignition of lean and stoichiometric CH4/O2/He mixture in NRP-SDBD plasma. A skeletal plasma kinetics mechanism is primary developed and calibrated, to mitigate the computationalloads of modeling SDBD discharge by the two-dimensional plasma solver PASSKEy coupled with Poisson's equation. The discharge current was well predicted, meanwhile the sequential and spatial reduced electric field (E/N) is revealed as the ionization wave propagates forward. Special attention is placed on time-evolution of electric field strength used as inputs in simulation of plasma assisted ignition (PAI) conducted by zero-dimensional ZDPlasKin-CHEMKIN code. The principle of PAI on lean and stoichiometric CH4/O2/He mixture via varied PRF is analyzed in details from view of plasma kinetics and chemical kinetics. Ultimately, the important role of plasma active species O, O(1D), O2(a1Δg) on promoting ignition chain reactions is highlighted. It is also concluded that high PRF is beneficial for the accumulation of short lifetime species such as CH4(v13) and O(1D), which participate in the formation of important intermediate CH3.

Breakdown development in a nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge in humid air in plane-to-plane geometry

We used the ns electric field induced second harmonic (EFISH) generation diagnostic to measure the electric field evolution in a 200 ns pulse, dielectric barrier, plane-to-plane discharge in humid air, on the time scale shorter than the laser pulse duration. Plasma imaging by an ICCD camera detected a uniform evolution of the discharge emission during the breakdown. Spectroscopic measurements tracked the N2 second positive and first negative systems to infer the reduced electric field (E/N) evolution. EFISH measurements showed the electric field persistent during the entire HV pulse, with the residual field between pulses and the field inversion at the start and end of the HV pulse. The experimental data are consistent with the simulations, with the electron attachment and negative ion kinetics incorporated. The modeling predictions indicate that the rapid electron density decay due to attachment and recombination is the dominant factor sustaining the electric field in the plasma after breakdown. Spectroscopic E/N determination showed the time evolution at variance with the EFISH measurements, which may be due to the electron attachment and non-locality of the EEDF. Possible explanations are discussed.

Influence of Pulse Repetition Frequency on CH4 Dry Reforming by Nanosecond Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges

Influence of Pulse Repetition Frequency on CH4 Dry Reforming by Nanosecond Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges

Preparation of rGO/NiO nanocomposites by AC and nanosecond pulsed DBD

Graphene/transition metal oxide composites combine the energy-storing mechanisms of pseudo-capacitance and double layer capacitance, and are considered as preferred electrode materials for supercapacitors. For the composites' complex structure and components, it is important to develop a method with good controllability to monitor the structure and component of the nanocomposites, which is critical for the electrochemical performance optimization and the further industrial application. In this paper, graphene oxide (GO) and nickel acetate tetrahydrate (Ni(CH3COO)2·4H2O) were used to prepare reduced graphene oxide/nickel oxide (rGO/NiO) nanocomposites utilizing dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasmas with AC and nanosecond (ns) pulse power supplies. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectra, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to study the nanocomposites created under various discharge conditions. It shows the splitting and delamination of the prepared composites surface, a rise in ID/IG, and the reduction of GO after plasma treatment result in an excellent connection with the electrode material surface and electrolytic solution, and good capacitor performance. The rGO/NiO nanocomposites prepared by AC DBD have better charge transfer resistance, conductivity, and electrochemical capacitance retention rate than the materials prepared by ns pulsed DBD, which is analysed by power deposition and thermodynamics. The work contributes to reveal the mechanism of plasma material preparation, which will give new impetus to the development of environmental-friendly method for electrode materials preparation.

Experimental Investigation of the Active Flow Control over a Cranked-Delta Wing

A series of experiments was carried out to investigate the effects of active flow control on the aerodynamic characteristics of a cranked-delta-wing model at a subsonic speed. A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator was used to improve the aerodynamic performance of the half-span cranked-delta-wing model at various angles of attack. The model had inboard and outboard sweepback angles of 57 and 38 deg, respectively. The surface pressure distribution was obtained at five streamwise stations and at two ray stations. All data were obtained at a constant Reynolds number of 0.27×106 and at various angles of attack: 0 deg≤α≤36 deg. The results showed that the pulsed DBD plasma actuator improved the aerodynamic performance of the cranked-delta-wing model by preventing flow separation at high angles of attack. The deep stall angle of attack was delayed up to 6 deg, and the poststall suction coefficient was increased approximately 30% at an angle of attack of about α=34 deg when the pulsed DBD plasma was applied at its optimum condition (F+≈1 and duty cycle=10%). It was found that the pulsed plasma actuator suppressed the wake flow in the forward portion of the wing at poststall angles of attack, thus delaying the flow separation. However, the effects of the DBD actuator at very high angles of attack on the flow reattachment process at the rear portion of the wing for the present DBD setting were seen to be minimal. The induced flow by the pulsed DBD plasma actuator influenced the vortex merging phenomena and delayed the onset of the outer vortex burst at prestall angles of attack.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the uniformity of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge influenced by pulse parameters

Nanosecond (ns) pulsed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is considered as a promising method to produce controllable large-volume and high activity low-temperature plasma at atmospheric pressure, which makes it suitable for wide applications. In this work, the ns pulse power supply is used to excite Ar DBD and the influences of the pulse parameters (voltage amplitude, pulse width, pulse rise and fall times) on the DBD uniformity are investigated. The gas gap voltage (U g) and conduct current (I g) are separated from the measured voltage and current waveforms to analyze the influence of electrical parameters. The spectral line intensity ratio of two Ar excited species is used as an indicator of the electron temperature (T e). The time resolved discharge processes are recorded by an intensified charge-coupled device camera and a one-dimensional fluid model is employed to simulate the spatial and temporal distributions of electrons, ions, metastable argon atoms and T e. Combining the experimental and numerical results, the mechanism of the pulse parameters influencing on the discharge uniformity is discussed. It is shown that the space electric field intensity and the space particles’ densities are mainly responsible for the variation of discharge uniformity. With the increase of voltage and pulse width, the electric field intensity and the density of space particles increased, which results in the discharge mode transition from non-uniform to uniform, and then non-uniform. Furthermore, the extension of pulse rise and fall times leads to the discharge transition from uniform to non-uniform. The results are helpful to reveal the mechanism of ns pulsed DBD mode transition and to realize controllable and uniform plasma sources at atmospheric pressure.

The effect of pulse voltage rise rate on the polypropylene surface hydrophilic modification by ns pulsed nitrogen DBD

The nanosecond (ns) pulsed nitrogen dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is employed to enhance the hydrophilicity of polypropylene (PP) surface and improve its application effect. The discharge characteristics of the ns pulsed nitrogen DBD with different pulse rise times (from 50 to 500 ns) are investigated by electrical and optical diagnostic methods and the discharge uniformity is quantitatively analyzed by image processing method. To characterize the surface hydrophilicity, the water contact angle (WCA) is measured, and the physical morphology and chemical composition of PP before and after modification are analyzed to explore the effect of plasma on PP surface. It is found that with increasing pulse rise time from 50 to 500 ns, DBD uniformity becomes worse, energy efficiency decreases from 20% to 10.8%, and electron density decrease from 6.6 × 1011 to 5.5 × 1011 cm−3. The tendency of electron temperature is characterized with the intensity ratio of N2/N+ 2 emission spectrum, which decreases from 17.4 to 15.9 indicating the decreasing of T e with increasing pulse rise time from 50 to 500 ns. The PP surface treated with 50 ns pulse rise time DBD has a lower WCA (∼47°), while the WCA of PP treated with 100 to 500 ns pulse rise time DBD expands gradually (∼50°‒57°). According to the study of the fixed-point WCA values, the DBD-treated PP surface has superior uniformity under 50 ns pulse rise time (3° variation) than under 300 ns pulse rise time (8° variation). After DBD treatment, the increased surface roughness from 2.0 to 9.8 nm and hydrophilic oxygen-containing groups on the surface, i.e. hydroxyl (−OH) and carbonyl (C=O) have played the significant role to improve the sample’s surface hydrophilicity. The short pulse voltage rise time enhances the reduced electric field strength (E/n) in the discharge space and improves the discharge uniformity, which makes relatively sufficient physical and chemical reactions have taken place on the PP surface, resulting in better treatment uniformity.