Plasma Chemical Functionalisation of a Cameroonian Kaolinite Clay for a Greater Hydrophilicity

A Cameroonian kaolinite powder was treated with gliding arc plasma in order to increase the amount of hydroxyl functional groups present on its external surfaces. The functional changes that occurred were monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The crystalline changes were followed by the X-ray diffraction. The ionisation effect, acid effect, and water solubility of the treated samples were also evaluated. Results showed that there is breaking of the bonds in the Si–O–Si and Si–O–Al groups, followed by the formation of new aluminol (Al–OH) and silanol (Si–OH) groups at the external surface of kaolinite after exposing the clay to the gliding arc plasma. The increase in hydroxyl groups on the surface of kaolinite leads to the increase of its hydrophilicity. Moreover, new charges appear on its surfaces and no significant change in crystallinity has occurred. This study shows that clays in powder form being can effectively be functionalised by gliding arc plasma in spatial post discharge processing mode. Knowing that the treatment in spatial post discharge offers the possibility to process large amounts of clay, this work is of great interest to the industry.     

Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of TiO2 Nanorods by Gliding Arc Discharge Processing at Atmospheric Pressure for Photocatalytic Applications

The present study explores a new method of synthesis of TiO₂ nano-particles in an aqueous medium from TiCl₃ precursor by non-thermal plasma in humid air as feeding gas obtained at atmospheric pressure. The precursor solution, TiCl₃ is oxidized by strongly reactive species generated by gliding arc plasma (HO^· = 2.85 V/SHE) to produce titanium oxide powders. The synthesized powder was characterised by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, nitrogen physisorption, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The results obtained showed that the material consists of rod-shaped nanoparticles of rutile and anatase phases. The presence of TiO₂ phases was confirmed by FTIR spectrum and textural analyses showed that the material is mesoporous with specific surface area of 158 m² g^?1. UV–Visible spectrum of the plasma-synthesized TiO₂ sample showed that it absorbs in the UV–A region leading to effective use as a photocatalyst under visible light.     

A Plasma Surface Treatment of Polyester Textile Fabrics Used for Reinforcement of Car Tires

Polyester tire cord surfaces have been modified by plasma at low temperature and atmospheric pressure. The surface treatment has been executed by various nonequilibrium discharges, namely by barrier discharge, atmospheric pressure glow discharge and gliding arc. The polymeric multicord sewing threads treated by this procedure have been used in the same form as in industry, i.e., with the protecting oil films on their surface. The surface properties have been investigated by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and by measuring their contact angle with various liquids; partially the zeta potential measurements have been used, too. Further tests have been done at an industrial testing impregnation line using the common technology and conditions, on both plasma treated and untreated fibers. Finally, the standard H-tests and peel-tests have been used to characterize the fiber adhesion to usual testing rubbers.     

Solvent-induced textural changes of as-synthesized mesoporous alumina, as reported by spin probe electron spin resonance spectroscopy

The effect of solvent used during the synthesis and postsynthesis treatment on textural properties of organized mesoporous aluminas was investigated and related to the behavior of spin probes studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. It was found that the structure of surfactant aggregates serving in the as-synthesized precipitates as templates could be easily modified by treatment with different solvents. This treatment induces corresponding variations in surface areas, mesopore volumes, and mesopore diameters of the final products. The ESR spectrum of 5-doxyl stearic acid spin probe properly reflects the changes in template structure based on changes of the solvent used and represents an early indicator of the corresponding textural modifications of the mesoporous alumina.     

Optical emission diagnostics in cascade arc plasma polymerization and surface modification processes

Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) was used to identify reactive species and their excitation states in low-temperature cascade arc plasmas of N₂, CF₄, C₂F₄, CH₄, and CH₃OH. In a cascade arc plasma, the plasma gas (argon or helium) was excited in the cascade arc generator and injected into a reactor in vacuum. A reactive gas was injected into the cascade arc torch (CAT) that was expanding in the reactor. What kind of species of a reactive gas, for example, nitrogen, are created in the reactor is dependent on the electronic energy levels of the plasma gas in the cascade arc plasma jet. OES revealed that no ion of nitrogen was found when argon was used as the plasma gas of which metastable species had energy less than the ionization energy of nitrogen. When helium was used, ions of nitrogen were found. While OES is a powerful tool to identify the products of the cascade arc generation (activation process), it is less useful to identify the reactive species that are responsible for surface modification of polymers and also for plasma polymerization. The plasma surface modification and plasma polymerization are deactivation processes that cannot be identified by photoemission, which is also a deactivation process. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1583–1592, 1998     

Evaluation of Energy Balance in a Batch and Circulating Non-thermal Plasma Reactors During Organic Pollutant Oxidation in Aqueous Solution

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - This work presents the treatment of an organic waste solution using gliding arc plasma in moist air, which is an excellent source of oxidizing species....     

Kinetic Modeling of Plasma Methane Conversion Using Gliding Arc

Plasma methane (CH4) conversion in gliding arc discharge was examined. The result data of experiments regarding the performance of gliding arc discharge were presented in this paper. A simulation which is consisted some chemical kinetic mechanisms has been provided to analyze and describe the plasma process. The effect of total gas flow rate and input frequency refers to power consumption have been studied to evaluate the performance of gliding arc plasma system and the reaction mechanism of decomposition.Experiment results indicated that the maximum conversion of CH4 reached 50% at the total gas flow rate of 1 L/min. The plasma reaction was occurred at the atmospheric pressure and the main products were C (solid), hydrogen, and acetylene (C2H2). The plasma reaction of methane conversion was exothermic reaction which increased the product stream temperature around 30～50℃.     

N-Decane Reforming by Gliding Arc Plasma in Air and Nitrogen

Plasma cracking of n-decane is carried out in a new type of gliding arc flow reactor in the atmosphere of nitrogen and air, at a flow range of 25–45 L/min with an interval of 5 L/min. The relationship between arc evolution and discharge voltage and current signals is established by synchronous recording with high-speed camera and oscilloscope. It is recorded that the rotating frequency of the gliding arc is in the range of 81–176 Hz, which increases with the rise of the flow rate and has no direct relationship with the type of gas. When air is used as the discharge medium, although the luminous intensity of the arc is weak, arc rotation is relatively stable, and the specific input energy is higher, which is 58% higher than that of nitrogen. In addition, the partial oxidation of n-decane provides extra heat for cracking, which is helpful to improve the efficiency of plasma cracking. The cracking products mainly include hydrogen, ethylene, acetylene, methane, propylene and ethane. The concentration of each component is higher, reaching the maximum value at the flow rate of 40 L/min, with the hydrogen selectivity of 23.1%. However, when nitrogen plasma is selected, the kinds of products are reduced, containing only hydrogen, ethylene and acetylene, and the concentrations are lower than 0.5%. Two parameters, energy conversion efficiency and carbon based characterization effective cracking rate, were proposed to evaluate the cracking effect of flow reactor.

     

Seed Germination and Early Growth Responses to Seed Pre-treatment by Non-thermal Plasma in Hemp Cultivars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cannabis sativa</Emphasis> L.)

The two key questions addressed in this paper were whether different cultivars of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) have the same reactions to non-thermal plasma seed pre-treatments and whether different plasma sources have different effects on the seeds. Seed germination and early growth of hemp in design of hierarchical analysis of variance was conducted. Differences in response among seeds of three hemp cultivars (‘Finola’, ‘Bialobrzeskie’, ‘Carmagnola’) to the non-thermal plasma pre-treatment generated by two apparatuses (gliding arc and downstream microwave devices) in four time expositions (0, 180, 300, 600 s) were found. The high importance was found in type of apparatus and time exposition. A positive/neutral effect was observed in all measured characteristics after gliding arc plasma pre-treatment. Gliding arc pre-treatment increased the length of seedlings, seedling accretion and weight of seedling in both cv. ‘Finola’ and cv. ‘Bialobrzeskie’ hemp. On the other hand, the downstream microwave apparatus had an inhibiting effect on all tested hemp cultivars. It was the first time when significant differences in response to non-thermal pre-treatment were found in taxonomically close plants. The results obtained in this study describes different effect of various plasma treatment on germination and early growth of hemp seeds. The direct pre-treatment of non-thermal plasma discharge in condition of atmospheric pressure was better. Results of our experiment show that the use of non-thermal plasma pre-treatment may increase survival of some hemp cultivars during seedlings establishment in a drier period and may be used in new agro-technical measures in unconventional agriculture.     

Effect of dialysis treatment on the aggregation state of montmorillonite clay

In this work dialysis was used as a technique to modify the aggregation state of montmorillonite clay. Na-montmorillonite clay suspension was treated by a dialysis process and the effect of dialysis time on the surface area of the treated clay was studied. In a clay suspension, a decrease in cation content increases the interparticle repulsion forces exponentially, leading to separation of clay into the elementary clusters of layers by osmotic swelling. During dialysis treatment, the classical delamination process and mechanism were not observed. According to N(2) adsorption isotherms, the increase of surface area concerns to the development of mesoporosity. Nevertheless, the surface area increase cannot be explained by the delamination or exfoliation of some layers, since an increase in the expected number of layers that would yield the surface area does not explain the mesoporosity observed after dialysis. Based on these results, a new mechanism of evolution of the clay aggregation state after dialysis and drying is proposed.     

Plasma-Surface Interactions in Plasma Catalysis

In this paper the various elementary plasma—surface interaction processes occurring in plasma catalysis are critically evaluated. Specifically, plasma catalysis at atmospheric pressure is considered. The importance of the various processes is analyzed for the most common plasma catalysis sources, viz. the dielectric barrier discharge and the gliding arc. The role and importance of surface chemical reactions (including adsorption, surface-mediated association and dissociation reactions, and desorption), plasma-induced surface modification, photocatalyst activation, heating, charging, surface discharge formation and electric field enhancement are discussed in the context of plasma catalysis. Numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the importance of the various processes.     

超疏水碱式碳酸钴纳米线薄膜的制备及抗腐蚀性

以镍为基底,采用水热法在其表面制得碱式碳酸钴纳米线薄膜,用十二烷基硫醇进行表面修饰后其表现出超疏水性,水滴在其表面的接触角达到152.3°,滚动角接近5°.研究结果表明,薄膜表面微纳米阶层结构及低表面物质的协同作用使其呈超疏水性.与普通镍片和硫醇修饰前的碱式碳酸钴纳米线薄膜相比,超疏水碱式碳酸钴纳米线薄膜具有更好的抗腐蚀性.相关研究有望为超疏水金属表面的制备及其抗腐蚀性研究提供思路.     

AlFe层柱粘土催化剂催化甲苯在水中的降解

The catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of toluene on two bentonite-based AlFe-pillared clays (PILCs) with different iron contents was investigated. The PILCs were obtained using bentonite clay from Bogovina, Serbia. The change in chemical and phase composition and textural properties of the starting clay and synthesized catalysts was monitored using X-ray diffraction, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrometry, and physisorption of nitrogen. The catalytic performance was examined using gas chromatography. The Na-exchange process lowered the (001) smectite basal plane spacing, but the clay retained its swelling properties, while the pillaring process increased it. The surface areas of both synthesized pillared clays increased to similar values although their Fe content was different. At 37 ℃, both catalysts show significant toluene degradation, with the one richer in Fe having higher efficiency. The leaching of the active cations during reaction was negligible, and the catalysts were stable. AlFe-pillared clay catalysts can be used in CWPO for the elimination of BTEX compounds from plant effluent streams.     

Acid-generating effect of plasma species and pulsed ultraviolet plasma radiation

The yield of acid residues generated in water at pH 3–13 by pulsed plasma radiation of spark discharge with a power of 0.59 W has been studied. The power per pulse of electrical discharge has been optimized to obtain the maximum chemical effect in water. The results are compared with similar data obtained by treatment with 900-W gliding discharge. It has been found that the energy efficiency of pulsed plasma radiation is 100 times that of gliding discharge plasma. The results make it possible to clarify the mechanism of the gliding discharge-induced formation of peroxynitrite.     

The Effects of Gas Composition on Active Species and Byproducts Formation in Gas–Water Gliding Arc Discharge

The effects of gas composition on hybrid gas–water gliding arc discharge plasma reactor have been studied. The voltage cycles are characterized by a moderate increase in the tension which is represented by a peak followed by an abrupt decrease and a current peak in the half period (10 ms). Emission spectrum measurements revealed that ^•OH hydroxyl radicals are present in the discharge with feeding any gas. The H₂O₂ concentrations reach 38.0, 15.0, 10.0, and 8.0 mg/l after 25 min plasma treatment with oxygen, argon, air, and nitrogen, respectively. O₃ was produced when oxygen and air are used, but not when nitrogen and argon. The O₃ concentration reached the highest value 1.0 mg/l after 25 min plasma treatment with oxygen feeding gas, but gradually decreased to 0.2 mg/l after that. With feeding nitrogenous gas, NO₂ ⁻ and NO₃ ⁻ byproducts were formed by the plasma chemical process.     

Steam Torch Plasma Modelling

Numerical modelling of physical properties and processes in an electric arc stabilized by a water vortex (steam torch) has been summarized in this review paper. One-fluid MHD equations are numerically solved for an axisymmetric thermal plasma flow inside a discharge chamber of the steam plasma torch. The steady state solution results are discussed for the range of currents 300–600 A with relatively low steam flow rate of about 0.3 g s^?1. The maximum obtained velocities and temperatures—8500 m s^?1, 26,300 K, are reported at the centre of the nozzle exit for 600 A. The evaporation of water, i.e. mass flow rate of steam, was predicted from a comparison between the present simulation and experiments. The generated plasma is mildly compressible (M < 0.7) with the inertial forces overwhelming the magnetic, viscous, centrifugal and Coriolis forces with the factor of 10³. Our calculations showed that the most significant processes determining properties of the arc are the balance of the Joule heat with radiation and radial conduction losses from the arc. Rotation of plasma column due to the tangential velocity component has a negligible effect on the overall arc performance, however, the rotation of water induces fluctuations in the arc and in the plasma jet with characteristic frequency which is related to the frequency of rotation of water. Reabsorption of radiation occurs at the radial position higher than 2.5 mm from the arc axis. The amount of reabsorbed radiation is between 17 and 28%. LTE conditions are satisfied in the arc column with the 2 mm radius. Comparison between the present simulations and experiments shows good agreement with the current–voltage characteristics, radial velocity and temperature profiles, as well as with the other related numerical simulation.     

Ethanol Washing Effect on Textural Properties of the Sodium Silicate-Derived Silica Xerogel

This study deals with the use of ethanol as washing solvent in the preparation of the silica gels from sodium silicate in order to enhance the textural properties, especially surface area. We here examined the effect of ethanol-washing on surface area, micro- and mesopore volume, and average pore size. The silica xerogels prepared from sodium silicate solution exhibited an extremely high surface area of 1139 m2/g by washing their hydrogels with ethanol. Compared to water-washed xerogels, ethanol-washed xerogels showed higher surface areas, total pore volumes, and larger average pore sizes. Unlike the surface area of water-washed xerogel, that of the ethanol-washed xerogel was not affected by the silica concentration of initial solution. This study indicates that the textural properties of sodium silicate-derived xerogels are further enhanced by using ethanol as washing solvent.     

Effect of Some Oxidation Treatments on the Textural Characteristics and Surface Chemical Nature of an Activated Carbon

The changes produced in an activated carbon by treatment in aqueous solutions of (NH(4))(2)S(2)O(8) and H(2)O(2) are compared with the modifications produced by oxygen plasma. These changes are monitored by measuring the textural characteristics (surface areas, porosity, pore size distributions) and surface chemical groups. The former are studied by N(2) and CO(2) adsorption, mercury porosimetry and hydrocarbon adsorption at zero surface coverage. The chemical surface groups are determined by chemical titrations and FTIR Spectroscopy. The results show large differences between the changes produced by treatment in aqueous solutions and those produced by oxygen plasma. Whereas both treatments in aqueous solution modify the textural characteristics, oxygen plasma maintains the surface area and pore network. However, plasma treatment introduces larger amounts of oxygen chemical groups than treatment in aqueous solution. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

From the solvothermally treated poly(vinylidenefluoride) colloidal suspension to sticky hydrophobic coating

Solvothermally treating an as-prepared poly(vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF) colloidal suspension leads to a significant impact on the surface properties of the resulting topcoat on a pertinent prime coating. The coating, possessing a fibrous porous matrix, exhibits a water contact angle in the range of 115–136^°. However, the coating possesses droplets sticking ability that can be attributed to the pseudo-hydrogen bonding effect of the polarized C–H bonds in each repeating unit of PVDF polymer chains. The hydrophobicity of the topcoat is affected by the formulation of colloidal suspension, which is carried out by introducing a solution of PVDF in dimethylforamide into an excess of methanol. The colloidal suspension formed is subjected to solvothermal treatment subsequently. By thermodynamics, the treatment enhances chain packing density and growth of crystallites inside the colloidal particles of PVDF in the methanol-dominant dispersion medium. Furthermore, the realized chain packing states are retained during the drying of coating through chain affixation role of a small number of poly(divinylbenzene) nodules generated in situ. As a result, a fibrous porous matrix composed of the PVDF submicron knots is attained. The coexistence of the polarized CH₂ group and the fibrous porous structure prompts a sticky hydrophobic surface.     

Chitosan Bio‐Based Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Aerogel Microspheres

Recently, organic–inorganic hybrid materials have attracted tremendous attention thanks to their outstanding properties, their efficiency, versatility and their promising applications in a broad range of areas at the interface of chemistry and biology. This article deals with a new family of surface‐reactive organic–inorganic hybrid materials built from chitosan microspheres. The gelation of chitosan (a renewable amino carbohydrate obtained by deacetylation of chitin) by pH inversion affords highly dispersed fibrillar networks shaped as self‐standing microspheres. Nanocasting of sol–gel processable monomeric alkoxides inside these natural hydrocolloids and their subsequent CO₂ supercritical drying provide high‐surface‐area organic–inorganic hybrid materials. Examples including chitosan–SiO₂, chitosan–TiO₂, chitosan–redox‐clusters and chitosan–clay‐aerogel microspheres are described and discussed on the basis of their textural and structural properties, thermal and chemical stability and their performance in catalysis and adsorption.