Time-resolved Temperature Measurements Research Articles

Parametric study of thermal effects in a capillary dielectric-barrier discharge related to plasma jet production: Experiments and numerical modelling

In the present work, a capillary dielectric-barrier discharge of the coaxial electrode configuration, commonly employed to atmospheric-pressure cold plasma jet production, is studied in terms of thermal effects. The discharge is driven by sinusoidal high voltage in the kHz range and operates with helium gas channeled into a capillary dielectric tube having one end opened to the atmospheric air. The voltage amplitude and frequency, gas flow rate, and discharge volume are varied independently, and thermal effects are investigated by experimentally acquired results coupled with numerically determined data. The experiments refer to electrical power measurements, time-resolved temperature measurements, infrared imaging, and high resolution optical emission spectroscopy. The numerical modelling incorporates an electro-hydrodynamic force in the governing equations to take into account the helium-air interplay and uses conjugate heat transfer analysis. The comparison between experimental and numerical data shows that power is principally consumed in the dielectric barrier-helium interface resulting in the dielectric heating. A linear relation between steady state temperatures and supplied power, independent of the designing and operating conditions, is experimentally established. However, the gas flow rate affects the thermal effects differently compared to the other parameters, supporting the idea of a twofold nature of these systems, i.e., electrical and hydrodynamic. The main claim states the possibility of correlating (both experimentally and numerically) designing and operating parameters for evaluating heat distribution and gas temperature in capillary dielectric-barrier discharges used for plasma jet production. This is of high importance for processing temperature-sensitive materials, including bio-specimens.

1.6 MHz scanning rate direct absorption temperature measurements using a single vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diode.

This paper presents 1.6MHz scan rate, non-intrusive, time-resolved temperature measurements of a normal shock reflection from a plane end wall within a shock tube. A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) was used to conduct tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy with water vapor as the probe species. The results are compared with analytical predictions. Temperatures measured with this technique agree within a single-scan standard deviation of ±33 K with calculated temperatures at a VCSEL modulation frequency of 800kHz, which is sufficiently rapid enough to be used to investigate highly transient shock wave interaction processes.

Single-ended mid-infrared laser-absorption sensor for time-resolved measurements of water concentration and temperature within the annulus of a rotating detonation engine

Abstract A novel single-ended mid-infrared laser-absorption sensor for time-resolved measurements of water mole fraction and temperature was developed and deployed within the annulus of a hydrogen/air-fed rotating detonation engine (RDE). The sensor transmitted two laser beams targeting mid-infrared water transitions through a single optical port on the outer wall of the cylindrical RDE annulus and measured the backscattered radiation from the RDE inner surface using a photodetector for a round-trip path of 1.52 cm. Optimizing the sensor's optical arrangement using numerical ray tracing to minimize interference from optical emission, beam steering, and scattered laser light from window surfaces was essential to sensor performance. Scanned-wavelength-modulation spectroscopy with second-harmonic detection and first-harmonic normalization was implemented to allow for frequency-domain multiplexing of the two lasers and to suppress non-absorbing interference sources such as beam-steering and emission. Tunable diode lasers near 2551 and 2482 nm were modulated at 100 and 122 kHz, respectively, and sinusoidally scanned across the peaks of their respective water transitions at 10 kHz to provide a measurement rate of 20 kHz and detection limit of 0.5% water by mole. Experimentally derived spectroscopic parameters enabled water and temperature sensing with respective uncertainties of 7.3% and 5.3% relative to the measured values. Time-resolved and time-averaged sensor measurements of gas temperature and water vapor mole fraction allow quantitative evaluation of the combustion progress at the measurement location and thus provide a design tool for RDE optimization. Broadly, this single-ended laser sensor should find applications in other combustion systems where optical access is limited.

Shock Tube Demonstration of Acousto-Optically Modulated Quantum Cascade Laser as a Broadband, Time-Resolved Combustion Diagnostic

We provide the first demonstration of an acousto-optically modulated quantum cascade laser (AOM QCL) system as a diagnostic for combustion by measuring nitric oxide (NO), a highly regulated emission produced in gas turbines. The system provides time-resolved broadband spectral measurements of the present gas species via a single line of sight measurement, offering advantages over widely used narrowband absorption spectroscopy (e.g., the potential for simultaneous multispecies measurements using a single laser) and considerably faster (>15 kHz rates and potentially up to MHz) than sampling techniques, which employ fourier transform infrared (FTIR) or GC/MS. The developed AOM QCL system yields fast tunable output covering a spectral range of 1725–1930 cm−1 with a linewidth of 10–15 cm−1. For the demonstration experiment, the AOM QCL system has been used to obtain time-resolved spectral measurements of NO formation during the shock heating of mixture of a 10% nitrous oxide (N2O) in a balance of argon over a temperature range of 1245–2517 K and a pressure range of 3.6–5.8 atm. Results were in good agreement with chemical kinetic simulations. The system shows revolutionary promise for making simultaneous time-resolved measurements of multiple species concentrations and temperature with a single line of sight measurement.

Time-resolved temperature measurement during laser marking of stainless steel

A new measurement system was developed for time-resolved surface temperature measurement in nanosecond time scale. A study of surface temperatures reached by different parameters of laser marking and their correlation with resulting microstructure, phase composition and corrosion tests performed on marked samples is presented. The marking was done using a nanosecond pulsed fibre laser with variable pulse duration (from 9 to 200 ns), repetition frequency and pulse energy. Different phase composition and corrosion resistance were observed for visually similar marking results obtained by different laser parameters. This correlates well with maximum temperatures reached in the laser spot, which varied from less than 1100 °C for longer pulses to more than 1800 °C for shorter pulses. Melting of the surface with up to 4 µm thickness was observed for marking processes inducing high temperatures. The maximum temperatures in the pulse depend not only on pulse duration but also on previous pulses due to the heat accumulation effect. A temperature difference of up to 500 K was observed due to heat accumulation. From the results it can be concluded that combinations of longer pulse duration and higher repetition rate are the most suitable parameters for preserving corrosion resistance of stainless steel after laser marking.

Time resolved Fabry-Perot measurements of cavity temperature in pulsed QCLs.

Temperature rise during operation is a central concern of semiconductor lasers and especially difficult to measure during a pulsed operation. We present a technique for in situ time-resolved temperature measurement of quantum cascade lasers operating in a pulsed mode at ~9.25 μm emission wavelength. Using a step-scan approach with 5 ns resolution, we measure the temporal evolution of the spectral density, observing longitudinal Fabry-Perot modes that correspond to different transverse modes. Considering the multiple thin layers that make up the active layer and the associated Kapitza resistance, thermal properties of QCLs are significantly different than bulk-like laser diodes where this approach was successfully used. Compounded by the lattice expansion and refractive index changes due to time-dependent temperature rise, Fabry-Perot modes were observed and analyzed from the time-resolved emission spectra of quantum cascade lasers to deduce the cavity temperature. Temperature rise of a QCL in a pulsed mode operation between -160 °C to -80 °C was measured as a function of time. Using the temporal temperature variations, a thermal model was constructed that led to the extraction of cavity thermal conductivity in agreement with previous results. Critical in maximizing pulsed output power, the effect of the duty cycle on the evolution of laser heating was studied in situ, leading to a heat map to guide the operation of pulsed lasers.

Time-Resolved Reflectivity and Temperature Measurements During Laser Irradiation of Crystalline Silicon

Time-Resolved Reflectivity and Temperature Measurements During Laser Irradiation of Crystalline Silicon

Two dimensional advective heat flux estimation from velocity measurements

The advective heat flux, ρcpv · ∇T, is an important quantity in edge flames because the sign of v · ∇T characterizes relative propagation direction of the edge flame, and its magnitude gives information regarding strength of the resulting propagation or extinction front. Modern laser techniques can measure the velocity and temperature fields simultaneously within a flame, but accurate measurements of temperature simultaneous with velocity outside the high temperature region of the flame are more difficult and time-resolved measurements of velocity and temperature simultaneously for unsteady flows require complex measurement systems. In this paper, the theoretical framework to show that the flow dilatation can be used to directly estimate a scaled advective heat flux is presented. Numerical simulations of both a positive (propagating) and negative (extinguishing) edge flame were studied to assess the relationship between dilatation and advective heat flux. Experimental measurements of the two-dimensional component of dilatation in positive and negative edge flames were also made and compared to the simulations. The full advective heat flux was well represented by the dilatation in the simulations, and the experimental data demonstrates that the measured dilatation is useful for estimating advective heat flux. Flames with varying positive and negative flame speeds are examined with the technique.

Assessment of synthetic entropy waves for indirect combustion noise experiments in gas turbines

The reduction of aero-engine core-noise, i.e. the one generated in the combustor and in the high-pressure turbine, is a crucial objective for the deployment of low noise propulsion systems. Indirect entropy noise, produced by the propagation within the turbine of combustor-induced entropy waves, is believed to contribute significantly to the core-noise, and still demands a proper experimental demonstration in the turbomachinery environment. To fill this gap, dedicated experiments have been recently carried out in the high-speed turbine facility of the Politecnico di Milano, in which synthetic entropy waves are used to simulate the effects of the burners. The present paper discusses the generation and characterization of synthetic entropy waves for entropy noise experiments in turbines.The entropy waves are generated by injecting alternated spots of hot and cold air, by using a two-ways rotary valve and a pneumatic distribution system. These synthetic entropy waves were experimentally characterized in a nozzle test-section as well as in the actual turbine facility used for indirect noise experiments. Time-resolved total temperature and total pressure measurements were performed by means of a fast thermocouple and a pneumatic pressure probe, both of them specifically developed for the present study. A computational model of the entropy wave propagation process was also constructed to investigate the injection process in detail.Results indicate that, by assigning an optimal feeding pressure to the generation device, circular-shaped spots of hot air characterized by a sinusoidal temperature fluctuation and very weak pressure oscillations are injected into the main stream, properly simulating the entropy waves expected in the core of aero-engines. The amplitude of the temperature oscillation reduces during the stream-wise propagation of the wave and increasing the wave frequency. However, by adopting a proper insulation technology and assigning a sufficiently high thermal power to the generation device, temperature perturbations of the order of 30K (i.e., 10% of the mean temperature level) at 90Hz are achieved. These values match the target of entropy noise studies in the turbine test rig.

Time resolved temperature measurement of polymer surface irradiated by mid-IR free electron laser

We have developed the time-resolved temperature measurement system by using a radiation thermometer FLIR SC620. Temporal temperature profiles of an acrylic resin surface by the irradiation of infrared free electron laser (FEL) pulse were recorded in an 8ms resolution to measure an instantaneous temperature rise and decay profile. Under the single-shot condition, a peak temperature defined as the temperature jump from the ambient temperature was found to be proportional to the absorbance. Under the multi-shot condition, the temperature accumulation was found to reach a roughly constant value where the supply and release of the heat is balanced.

Time-resolved spectra and measurements of temperature and electron density of laser induced nitrogen plasma

As an important analytical tool, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been widely used in material analysis, environmental monitoring, and other fields. In recent years, due to increasingly serious air pollution, various LIBS-based on-line air pollution detection techniques are being developed. The temporal evolution of nitrogen plasma characteristics is of great importance for investigating the atmospheric plasma dynamics and developing the LIBS-based air pollution monitoring techniques. Temperature and electron density, which are the most important parameters of a plasma state, directly influence the kinetic behaviors of plasma formation, expansion and degradation processes, as well as the energy transfer efficiency in plasma. In this paper, the temporal evolutions of continuous background radiation, molecular spectral strength, and signal-to-background ratio (SBR) are studied based on time-resolved spectra. The results show that the lifetime of the continuous background radiation is about 700 ns, the N2+(B2u+-X2g+, v: 0-0) transition line strength reaches a maximum value within 12-15 s, the SBR first increases and then stabilizes. Accordingly, the optimal observation period for N2+(B2u+-X2g+) band system based plasma temperature investigation should be selected to be between 10 and 25 s. The temporal evolution of plasma temperature is determined by fitting experimental spectra to theoretical ones simulated by LIFBASE (a spectral simulation program). As the radiation loss is less than the loss due to the collision cooling, the plasma temperature decays exponentially from ~10000 K to ~6000 K within 10-28 s. By taking into account the instrumental broadening lineshape (Voigt lineshape), the temporal evolutions of Stark broadening and Stark shift of N 746.831 nm atomic line are obtained via Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm, and then the electron density is calculated accordingly. The results show that the electron density decays between 1017 and 1016 cm-3 in magnitude. By comparing the experimental electron decay rate with theoretical values calculated from different mechanisms, it is concluded that a three-body collision recombination is the main mechanism of electron decay.

Time-resolved temperature and number density measurements in a repetitively pulsed nanosecond-duration discharge

This paper presents a fast detection technique using diode laser absorption spectroscopy as an optical diagnostic tool to measure time-resolved temperature and number density in a repetitively pulsed nanosecond-duration discharge. Argon atoms in the 1s3 metastable state were optically probed by current scanning a vertical cavity surface emitting laser diode over the 1s3→2p4 transition at 794 nm. Temperature and number density measurements are presented at pulse energies from 20 μJ to 300 μJ, at a constant pressure of 2.67 kPa and 10 kHz repetition frequency. A time resolution of 2 ns was achieved for the measurements during and after the discharge pulse. We demonstrate the method used to make nanosecond resolution measurements, the precision of this technique and the effect of pulse energy on the translational temperature and number density of the metastable atoms. Our measurements show that, for small input pulse energies, the peak temperature of the argon atoms in the 1s3 state can exceed ambient room temperature by up to an order of magnitude.

Time-resolved electron temperature and electron density measurements in a nanosecond pulse filament discharge in H2–He and O2–He mixtures

Time evolution of electron density and electron temperature in a nanosecond pulse, diffuse filament electric discharge in H2–He and O2–He mixtures at a pressure of 100 Torr is studied by Thomson/pure rotational Raman scattering and kinetic modeling. The discharge is sustained between two spherical electrodes separated by a 1 cm gap and powered by high voltage pulses ~150 ns duration. Discharge energy coupled to the plasma filament 2–3 mm in diameter is 4–5 mJ/pulse, with specific energy loading of up to ~0.3 eV/molecule. At all experimental conditions, a rapid initial rise of electron temperature and electron density during the discharge pulse is observed, followed by the decay in the afterglow, over ~100 ns–1 µs. Electron density in the afterglow decays more rapidly as H2 or O2 fraction in the mixture is increased. In He/H2 mixtures, this is likely due to more rapid recombination of electrons in collisions with and ions, compared to recombination with ions. In O2/He mixtures, electron density decay in the afterglow is affected by recombination with and ions, while the effect of three-body attachment is relatively minor. Peak electron number densities and electron temperatures are ne = (1.7–3.1) · 1014 cm−3 and Te = 2.9–5.5 eV, depending on gas mixture composition. Electron temperature in the afterglow decays to approximately Te ≈ 0.3 eV, considerably higher compared to the gas temperature of T = 300–380 K, inferred from O2 pure rotational Raman scattering spectra, due to superelastic collisions. The experimental results in helium and O2–He mixtures are compared with kinetic modeling predictions, showing good agreement.

Time-resolved electron density and electron temperature measurements in nanosecond pulse discharges in helium

Thomson scattering is used to study temporal evolution of electron density and electron temperature in nanosecond pulse discharges in helium sustained in two different configurations, (i) diffuse filament discharge between two spherical electrodes, and (ii) surface discharge over plane quartz surface. In the diffuse filament discharge, the experimental results are compared with the predictions of a 2D plasma fluid model. Electron densities are put on an absolute scale using pure rotational Raman spectra in nitrogen, taken without the plasma, for calibration. In the diffuse filament discharge, electron density and electron temperature increase rapidly after breakdown, peaking at ne ≈ 3.5 · 1015 cm−3 and Te ≈ 4.0 eV. After the primary discharge pulse, both electron density and electron temperature decrease (to ne ~ 1014 cm−3 over ~1 µs and to Te ~ 0.5 eV over ~200 ns), with a brief transient rise produced by the secondary discharge pulse. At the present conditions, the dominant recombination mechanism is dissociative recombination of electrons with molecular ions, . In the afterglow, the electron temperature does not relax to gas temperature, due to superelastic collisions. Electron energy distribution functions (EEDFs) inferred from the Thomson scattering spectra are nearly Maxwellian, which is expected at high ionization fractions, when the shape of EEDF is controlled primarily by electron–electron collisions. The kinetic model predictions agree well with the temporal trends detected in the experiment, although peak electron temperature and electron density are overpredicted. Heavy species temperature predicted during the discharge and the early afterglow remains low and does not exceed T = 400 K, due to relatively slow quenching of metastable He* atoms in two-body and three-body processes. In the surface discharge, peak electron density and electron temperature are ne ≈ 3 · 1014 cm3 and Te ≈ 4.25 eV, attained after the surface ionization wave reaches the grounded electrode. The sensitivity of the present diagnostics is too low to measure electron density in the plasma during surface ionization wave propagation (estimated to be below ne ≈ 1013 cm−3). After peaking during the primary current pulse, the electron density decays due to dissociative recombination. Electron temperature decreases rapidly over ~150 ns after the primary current pulse rise, to Te ≈ 0.5 eV, followed by a much more gradual electron cooling between the primary and the secondary discharge pulses, due to superelastic collisions providing moderate electron heating in the afterglow.

5 kHz thermometry in a swirl-stabilized gas turbine model combustor using chirped probe pulse femtosecond CARS. Part 2. Analysis of swirl flame dynamics

We have performed a detailed analysis of the temperature field in a turbulent swirl flame operating with a self-excited thermo-acoustic instability. The temperature field was measured using 5 kHz chirped-probe-pulse (CPP) femtosecond (fs) coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). The measurements are described in detail in the part 1 companion article. In this paper, part 2, a detailed analysis of the time-resolved temperature measurements and simultaneous pressure measurements is performed to provide insight into the dynamics and structure of the swirl-stabilized flame. This work is the first to capture the dynamics of the flame, flow, and coupled flow-flame processes using high-fidelity, spatially- and temporally-resolved thermometry in a flame of practical relevance. The time-averaged contour plot of the temperature field indicates that the flame is very flat and stabilizes approximately 10 mm downstream of the burner face. In this region, there are very significant temperature fluctuations indicating a very high level of unsteadiness. The temperature probability distribution functions (PDFs) are clearly bimodal in this region near the injector face. A Fourier analysis of the temperature time series revealed multiple coherent oscillatory modes. The strongest oscillation was found to be coherent and in-phase with an acoustic resonance at 314 Hz, as expected from the Rayleigh criteria for the unstable flame. An analysis of the phase-conditioned average temperature fields clearly shows an axial pumping of low-temperature reactants, which are consumed after a convective delay and result in a spike in the global heat-release rate. Continued analysis also revealed a 438 Hz oscillation that was found to correspond with the dynamics of convective transport by a helical precessing vortex core (PVC). The structure of the PVC, and its interaction with the flame, were studied based on the presence of this characteristic frequency in the power spectral densities computed throughout the flow. The precision and time-resolution of the CPP fsCARS measurements was also sufficient to enable computation of the integral time-scales as well as the PDFs of the temporal temperature gradients. A sample of state space trajectories were used to provide insight into the nature of coupling between the narrowband acoustic resonance and the broadband spectrum of turbulent flame processes.

Time-resolved temperature measurements in a rapid compression machine using quantum cascade laser absorption in the intrapulse mode

A temperature sensor based on the intrapulse absorption spectroscopy technique has been developed to measure in situ temperature time-histories in a rapid compression machine (RCM). Two quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting near 4.55µm and 4.89µm were operated in pulsed mode, causing a frequency “down-chirp” across two ro-vibrational transitions of carbon monoxide. The down-chirp phenomenon resulted in large spectral tuning (Δν∼2.8cm−1) within a single pulse of each laser at a high pulse repetition frequency (100kHz). The wide tuning range allowed the application of the two-line thermometry technique, thus making the sensor quantitative and calibration-free. The sensor was first tested in non-reactive CO-N2 gas mixtures in the RCM and then applied to cases of n-pentane oxidation. Experiments were carried out for end of compression (EOC) pressures and temperatures ranging 9.21–15.32bar and 745–827K, respectively. Measured EOC temperatures agreed with isentropic calculations within 5%. Temperature rise measured during the first-stage ignition of n-pentane is over-predicted by zero-dimensional kinetic simulations. This work presents, for the first time, highly time-resolved temperature measurements in reactive and non-reactive rapid compression machine experiments.

Rapid, broadband spectroscopic temperature measurement of $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ using VIPA spectroscopy

Time-resolved spectroscopic temperature measurements of a sealed carbon dioxide sample cell were realized with an optical frequency comb combined with a two-dimensional dispersive spectrometer. A supercontinuum laser source based on an erbium fiber mode-locked laser was employed to generate coherent light around 2000 nm (5000 cm-1). The laser was passed through a 12-cm long cell containing CO2, and the transmitted light was analyzed in a virtually imaged phased array- (VIPA-) based spectrometer. Broadband spectra spanning more than 100 cm-1 with a spectral resolution of roughly 0.075 cm-1 (2.2 GHz) were acquired with an integration period of 2 ms. The temperature of the CO2 sample was deduced from fitting a modeled spectrum to the line intensities of the experimentally acquired spectrum. Temperature dynamics on the time scale of milliseconds were observed with a temperature resolution of 2.6 K. The spectroscopically-deduced temperatures agreed with temperatures of the sample cell measured with a thermistor. Potential applications of this technique include quantitative measurement of carbon dioxide concentration and temperature dynamics in gas-phase chemical reactions (e.g., combustion), and plasma diagnostics.

Energy balance in nanosecond pulse discharges in nitrogen and air

Kinetic modeling is used to analyze energy partition and energy transfer in nanosecond pulse discharges sustained between two spherical electrodes in nitrogen and air. The modeling predictions are compared with previous time-resolved temperature and vibrational population measurements by picosecond broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) and phase-locked Schlieren imaging. The model shows good agreement with experimental data, reproducing experimental discharge current pulse waveforms, as well as dominant processes of energy transfer in the discharge and the afterglow. Specifically, the results demonstrate that the temperature rise in the plasma occurs in two stages, (i) ‘rapid’ heating on sub-acoustic time scale, dominated by energy pooling processes, N2(B3Πg) and N(2P,2D) quenching (in nitrogen), and by quenching of excited electronic states of N2 molecules by O2 (in air), and (ii) ‘slow’ heating due to N2 vibrational relaxation by O atoms (in air), nearly completely missing in nitrogen. Comparison of the model predictions with N2 vibrational level populations confirms that the N2 vibrational temperature rises after the discharge pulse is caused by the ‘downward’ vibrational–vibrational exchange depopulating higher vibrational levels and populating vibrational level v = 1. The model reproduces temporal dynamics of vibrational level populations and temperature in the discharge and the afterglow, indicating that energy partition among different modes (vibrational, electronic, dissociation, and ionization) is predicted accurately. At the present conditions, energy fraction coupled to the positive column of the discharge filament in air is approximately 50%, with the rest coupled to the cathode layer. Nearly 10% of the total pulse energy is spent on O atom generation, and about 10% is thermalized on a sub-acoustic time scale, producing a strong compression wave in the radial direction. The experimental wave speed is considerably higher compared to the model predictions, by approximately 30%. The reason for this difference may be due to interaction between the cylindrical and spherical compression waves generated in the discharge filament and in the cathode layer, respectively.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the coupling of time-dependent parameters in a blown arc plasma torch

A low-power dc arc torch using nitrogen as plasma-forming gas is studied to highlight the modulation of plasma jet specific enthalpy and speed at the nozzle exit. A special design is used for the torch and by tuning the arc current and the mass flow rate a resonant oscillating mode is obtained in the kHz range, for which the arc voltage presents a periodic triangular waveform, which is the result of the combination of the input parameters. At stabilized current and following the voltage, the electric power is modulated for the specific enthalpy, the mass density and the speed of the plasma at the nozzle exit. A change in the plasma speed is accompanied by a change in the momentum of the jet, which must influence the pressure inside the torch and particularly in the cathode cavity, the volume of which stores the cold gas before it enters the arc region. Even though the torch is fed with a constant flow rate, the arc is subjected to a more or less fluctuating flow rate depending on the cathode cavity volume. The link between the fluctuating components of the different parameters is searched by using a conservation equation and solutions are obtained by means of Fourier analysis. The results obtained are consistent with speed measurements and time-resolved temperature measurements.

DNA induced sequestration of a bioactive cationic fluorophore from the lipid environment: A spectroscopic investigation

The effect of calf-thymus DNA (ctDNA) on the lipid bound probe, formed by the cationic phenazinium dye phenosafranin (PSF) and the anionic lipid dimyristoyl-L-α-phosphatidylglycerol (DMPG), has been unearthed exploiting various spectroscopic techniques. Steady state and time-resolved fluorometric studies and measurements of circular dichroism and DNA helix melting temperature reveal that in the presence of DNA the probe is dislodged from the lipid environment and gets intercalated within the DNA helix. The work qualitatively illustrates that the anionic lipid can be used as a potential nanocarrier for delivering the cationic drugs to the most relevant biomacromolecular target, DNA.