Glow Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure: Radiation, Thermal Erosion, Nanoparticles

The results of studies of a glow discharge in an argon flow at atmospheric pressure, initiated by voltage pulses with a duration of several microseconds with a frequency of 100 kHz are presented. The discharge current value varied from several tens of milliamperes to ∼1 A. The conditions when ions and atoms of cathode metal insert appeared in discharge plasma were determined. It has been shown as a result of metal atoms cooling, they stick together into nano-sized particles, which form agglomerates with characteristic dimensions from several micrometers to tens of micrometers and exposure of metal particles at atmospheric pressure leads to the formation of metal oxide powders. The prospects for using a plasma generator based on the glow discharge at atmospheric pressure as a source of ultrafine metal oxide powders have been determined.