Speaker
Description
Plasma–liquid interactions have attracted growing interest in both academia and industry [1] due to their relevance to chemical synthesis [2], microbial inactivation [3], and environmental remediation [4,5]. Discharges at atmospheric pressure are highly sensitive to nearby liquid structures, which can reshape their formation and propagation. In this work, we investigate how a chain of millimetre-scale water droplets influences the initiation, structure, and propagation behaviour of a nanosecond pulsed discharge in air.
A pin-to-pin electrode geometry is used, above a glass substrate. Chain of water droplets with controlled spacing and volume is placed on the substrate between the electrodes. The plasma is driven by 50–400 ns voltage pulses at peak amplitudes of 14–20 kV. Time-resolved current and voltage waveforms are recorded, and ICCD imaging combined with optical emission spectroscopy provides nanosecond-scale insight into streamer development and plasma–liquid interaction regions.
The introduction of a single droplet already modifies the discharge path compared with propagation in dry air, consistent with previous observations [6]. Increasing the number of droplets further alters breakdown timing, peak current, and filament topology. Enhanced local electric fields near droplets promote secondary streamer inception and lead to stronger OH and N₂ emission in the droplet vicinity, indicating intensified energy deposition and plasma–liquid coupling. This study examines whether these effects persist or evolve when multiple droplets are arranged in a chain.
| Keyword-1 | nanosecond pulsed discharge |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | water-plasma interaction |
| Keyword-3 | atmospheric pressure plasma |