Physics

Meteorology

Organic chemistry

Atmospheric pressure

Streamer discharge

Microsecond

Laser

Analytical Chemistry (journal)

Optics

Voltage

Atomic physics

Chemistry

Materials science

Quantum mechanics

Plasma

Chromatography

Rise time

Ozone

Nanosecond

Plasma Sources Science and Technology

Nanosecond pulsed streamer discharge has unique characteristics that differentiate it from longer discharges. The very fast voltage rise time, peak voltage plateau, short pulse duration, and fast fall time enable a large volume of uniform nonthermal plasma generation at atmospheric pressure. This review explains the physics of nanosecond discharge plasma through experimental and simulated studies for plasma processing techniques. The following are discussed and compared between sub-microsecond and nanosecond discharge plasma: discharge phase transition, discharge propagation, production of chemically active species, temperature change of gas during plasma propagation, electrode geometry, effect of voltage rise rate, voltage polarities, and N2/O2 gas composition ratio in air seeding gas. Nanosecond pulse discharge plasma is characterized by a considerably faster streamer head propagation velocity and reduced gas heating, resulting in a higher energy efficiency for plasma processing. Ozone generation, nitric oxide treatment and volatile organic compound treatment results are given as examples of plasma processing.

Nanosecond pulsed streamer discharges: II. Physics, discharge characterization and plasma processing