Combination of spark discharge and nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced plasma spectroscopy

A combination of spark discharge and nanoparticle-enhanced laser-induced plasma spectroscopy is investigated. Depositing Au nanoparticles at the surface of a brass target can enhance the coupling of the target and the laser. More atoms in the brass sample are excited. As a secondary excitation source, spark discharge reheats the generated plasma, which further amplifies the enhancement results of nanoparticles. The spectral intensity with the spark discharge increases more obviously with nanoparticle concentration increasing than without the spark discharge. Also, plasma temperature and electron density are calculated by the Boltzmann plot and Stark broadening. The changes in the plasma temperature and electron density are consistent with the spectral emission changes.     

脉冲微放电发射光谱用于合金样品元素分析

利用大气压脉冲微放电剥蚀源对铝合金进行光谱分析。该针板结构微放电装置具有价格低廉、操作便捷、分析快速等特点。脉冲放电能瞬间注入极大的放电能量,不致使样品融化,进而保证放电的稳定性。在几微秒的时间内,对钨针电极施加近-4 000 V的高压,电极间迅速形成放电通道,针尖和样品之间形成高达20 A的电流,造成对样品的剥蚀,并对被剥蚀的粒子进行激发。单次放电脉冲注入能量约为8.5 mJ,能量以电流的形式传递于放电电极。剥蚀形貌图表明放电微等离子体局域在电极间隙,针尖轴向上的能量传递和电流密度远高于离轴区域。为了深入研究剥蚀机制和物理性质,对等离子体源的电学特性进行了讨论。通过精确的时序拍摄技术观测了等离子体的演化过程,从ICCD相机的快速成像结果可以看到等离子体源寿命与脉冲高压放电源的脉宽相当,发光强度与放电电流变化趋势相吻合。与光谱分析装置相连接,脉冲微放电剥蚀源可有效激发合金样品中的铝、镁、锰、铜等元素原子谱线。对放电过程等离子体光谱特性进行考察,利用玻尔兹曼斜线法和Stark展宽法计算等离子体电子温度和电子数密度,分别得到过程中等离子体电子激发温度约6 700 K,等离子体电子数密度约1017 cm-3量级,并验证了放电处于局域热平衡状态。探究其定量分析性能,结果表明该脉冲微放电等离子体直接作为一种光谱分析源可实现对铝合金样品快速定量分析。     

Laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy and its application

Recently, laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy (LA-SIBS) has been growing rapidly and continue to be extended to a broad range of materials analysis. Characterized by employing a specifically designed high voltage and pulse discharge circuit to generate a spark and used to enhance plasma emission produced by laser ablation, allows direct analysis of materials without prior sample preparation. This paper reviews recent development and application of laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy for material analysis. Following a summary of fundamentals and instrumentation of the LA-SIBS analytical technique, the development and applications of laser ablation assisted spark induced breakdown spectroscopy for the analysis of conducting materials and insulating materials is described.     

Use of a sliding spark in the vacuum ultraviolet range of the spectrum

A newly designed sliding spark source is described. The source has a broad spectral range whose lower end overlaps the X-ray range below 200 Å. It permits both photographic and photoelectric recording of the spectrum using various electrodes. A marked effect of electrode material atomized onto the dielectric plate on source operation is indicated. The source is of simple design and can operate several hours without electrode replacement. It is suitable for various types of spectroscopic investigations.     

介质阻挡放电中电介质参量对放电时间特性的影响

采用介质参量不对称的装置,在大气压氩气介质阻挡放电中,研究了不同电介质温度及不同电介质材料对放电时间特性的影响.实验发现,外加电压较低时,正负半周的放电时间波形没有明显的差别;外加电压较高时,正负半周的放电脉冲个数不同.分析表明,电介质温度以及材料均影响壁电荷的积累,进而使放电特性发生改变. 关键词： 介质阻挡放电 时间特性 壁电荷 介电常数     

Electrical discharge in the Teflon cavity of a coaxial pulsedplasma thruster

In this work, we analyze the physical processes of a pulsed discharge in a dielectric (Teflon) cavity. This type of discharge is generated in a coaxial pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) having a central Teflon cavity to produce a high-pressure cloud of ablation products during the discharge pulse. The primary intended role of this model is to provide upstream boundary conditions for particle simulation codes used to study the exhaust plume. The main features of the electrical discharge in the dielectric cavity include Joule heating of the plasma, heat transfer to the dielectric, decomposition of the dielectric followed by partial ionization, and acceleration of the plasma up to the sound speed at the cavity exit. We consider a diffuse type of discharge assuming that all plasma parameters are uniform in the cavity. The system of equations is based on the plasma energy balance, thermal conductivity, dielectric ablation, and mass balance. It is found that most of the energy of the plasma column is carried off by particle convection to the dielectric and by radiation. It is found that during the pulse, the electron density peaks at about 10²⁴ m^-3 and decreases to 10²¹ m^-3 toward the end of the pulse, whereas the electron temperature peaks at about 2.2 eV and decays to 1.5 eV. Teflon surface temperature peaks at about 650 K. Predicted plasma temperature and ablated mass are found to be in agreement with available experimental data     

Characteristics of the discharge of a charged dielectric in low-pressure air

A charged dielectric generates a series of discharges in the surrounding air when the pressure is steadily reduced from near atmospheric to fractions of a torr. The dielectrics here employed were Mylar and Teflon. With positive polarity different discharge regimes were observed as the pressure varied: spark and long streamers at relatively high pressure; diffuse cloud-like discharges below 266 Pa (2 torr). With negative polarity it is difficult to induce a discharge, due to the absence of an electron-emitting surface. Similarities between our results and some of the features of mesospheric and stratospheric discharges are discussed.     

Temperature and electron density of soil plasma generated by LA-FPDPS

Electron temperature and electron number density are important parameters in the characterization of plasma. In this paper the electron temperature and electron number density of soil plasma generated by laser ablation combined with nanosecond discharge spark at different discharge voltages have been studied. Saha-Boltzmann plot and Stark broadening are used to determine the temperature and electron number density. It is proved that local thermal equilibrium is fulfilled in the nanosecond spark enhanced plasma. The enhanced optical emission, signal to noise ratio and the stability in term of the relative standard deviation of signal intensity at different spark voltages were investigated in detail. A relative stable discharge process was observed with use of a 10 kV discharge voltage under the carried experimental configuration.     

常压介质阻挡放电等离子体发射光谱的检测分析

以常压介质阻挡放电等离子体作为研究对象,在常温常压条件下使用介质阻挡放电光谱诊断装置,得到N2第二正系跃迁和Ar原子发射谱线。通过对放电光谱的检测分析,可以察知常压介质阻挡放电等离子体的特性,并可运用同一元素谱线的相对强度来诊断电子激发温度等物理参量,以达到对材料表面改性过程的实时监控,工作的结果对常压介质阻挡放电及其在材料改性的应用中具有重要的意义。     

激光诱导击穿光谱技术对土壤中重金属元素Cr的定量分析

为促进LIBS技术在土壤微量重金属元素检测中的应用,提高特征谱线的光谱强度和信背比,对实验参数进行优化,并对Cr元素进行分析。首先对激光器激发能量、样品距透镜距离和光谱仪采集延时等实验参数进行优化。对比激光器能量从60 mJ到110 mJ的谱线强度和信背比,当选用90 mJ的激发能量时可以得到最佳实验结果。其次,选择不同样品到透镜的距离,对比从焦前5 mm到焦后5 mm得到的实验结果,得出样品与透镜距离为焦后1 mm（即聚焦位置121 mm）时,Cr元素的特征谱线和信背比达到最佳。最后,分析对比光谱仪采集延时对谱线强度和信背比的影响,结果显示,与能量对等离子辐射强度的影响趋势大致相同,当采集延时为1 000 ns时,实验结果最佳。在最佳实验条件下（即激光器能量90 mJ、聚焦位置121 mm、采集延时1 000 ns）,对12种含有重金属Cr元素的土壤样品进行了光谱检测,为减弱外界环境的干扰,对同一样品的10个激光烧蚀位置得到的光谱做平均值预处理,选择Cr(Ⅰ)357.86 nm,Cr(Ⅰ)425.44 nm,Cr(Ⅰ)427.49 nm为特征谱线,通过建立样品掺杂浓度和光谱强度的定标曲线,得到了三条谱线的检测限LOD分别为74.62,64.07和67.49 mg·kg-1,拟合优度值R2分别为0.98,0.97和0.99,均方根误差值RMSE分别为0.41,0.33和0.35。同时,引入偏最小二乘法及支持向量机算法进一步提高了定标模型精度。研究表明,通过对实验参数进行优化及改善LIBS技术对微量元素的定量探测参数,得到了最优的光谱强度和信背比,并通过对Cr元素进行定量分析,计算定标曲线的Lorenz拟合得到检测限、拟合优度和均方根误差等实验参数,提高了LIBS对土壤中重金属元素的检测精度,这对于利用LIBS技术检测微量重金属元素具有重要的参考意义。     

Nanoparticle formation by laser ablation in air and by spark discharges at atmospheric pressure

Recent promising methods of nanoparticle fabrication include laser ablation and spark discharge. Despite different experimental conditions, a striking similarity is often observed in the sizes of the obtained particles. To explain this result, we elucidate physical mechanisms involved in the formation of metallic nanoparticles. In particular, we compare supersaturation degree and sizes of critical nucleus obtained under laser ablation conditions with that obtained for spark discharge in air. For this, the dynamics of the expansion of either ablated or eroded products is described by using a three-dimensional blast wave model. Firstly, we consider nanosecond laser ablation in air. In the presence of a background gas, the plume expansion is limited by the gas pressure. Nanoparticles are mostly formed by nucleation and condensation taking place in the supersaturated vapor. Secondly, we investigate nanoparticles formation by spark discharge at atmospheric pressure. After efficient photoionization and streamer expansion, the cathode material suffers erosion and NPs appear. The calculation results allow us to examine the sizes of critical nuclei as function of the experimental parameters and to reveal the conditions favorable for the size reduction and for the increase in the nanoparticle yield.     

Guidelines for efficient direct ablation of dielectrics with single femtosecond pulses

We provide guidelines to femtosecond laser users to select ad hoc laser parameters, namely the fluence and pulse duration, in the context of the development of ablation processes at the surface of dielectrics using single femtosecond pulses. Our results and discussion are based on a comprehensive experimental and theoretical analysis of the energy deposition process at the surface of fused silica samples and of their postmortem ablation characteristics, in the range of intensities from 10¹³ to 10¹⁵ W/cm². We show experimentally and numerically that self-induced plasma transient properties at the pulse timescale dramatically determine the efficiency of energy deposition and affect the resulting ablation morphology. In practice, we determine that the precise measurement of two characteristic fluence values, namely the laser-induced ablation threshold F _th,LIAT and the fluence F _opt for maximum ablation efficiency, are only required to qualify the outcomes of laser ablation at the surface of a dielectric in an extended range of applied fluence.     

Thin-film deposition by combining plasma jet with spark discharge source at atmospheric pressure

This study demonstrates a method for the deposition of CuO_x thin films by combining atmospheric pressure plasma jet with spark discharge. In this type of discharge source, the bulk copper material of spark discharge electrodes plays the role of a precursor. Copper atoms and particles go through the physical processes of sputtering, evaporation, and further agglomeration and condensation in the plasma jet and on the substrate. The experiments were carried out with and without a combination of discharges. The material coated on the substrate was studied using a scanning electron microscope, Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The characteristics of the set-up and plasma, such as I-V curves, optical emission spectra, and substrate temperature, were also measured. Copper electrodes were examined for erosion by a scanning electron microscope. The results demonstrate that deposits coated by combined discharge show denser and thicker films.     

用激光点火辅助火花诱导击穿光谱技术实现铝合金的高灵敏元素分析

报道了采用激光点火辅助火花诱导击穿光谱技术分析铝合金中痕量元素时的分析行为。用低能量激光脉冲聚焦于样品表面并在放电电极之间产生等离子体来触发高压火花放电以改善火花诱导击穿光谱技术的分析行为。在当前空间几何配置下,研究得到了最佳的放电电压和储能电容等参数并在最佳实验条件下分析了样品中的铜元素,其检出限达到0.7 ppm。激光点火的辅助手段改善了火花诱导击穿光谱技术在元素分析时信号的稳定性、提高了分析精度。同时它还能够有效地降低放电电压,改善其空间分辨本领。研究表明激光点火辅助火花诱导击穿光谱技术具有灵敏度高、稳定性好以及具有较好的空间分辨本领的特点,非常适合于各种合金中的痕量元素分析。     

多脉冲激光辐照下介质损伤理论研究

针对纳秒脉冲和飞秒脉冲不同的损伤机制,分别建立了两种多脉冲激光损伤模型。脉宽小于10 ps时,损伤是由于等离子体形成造成介质发生烧蚀所致,对此建立了基于电子密度演化方程的介质击穿模型;脉宽大于100 ps时,损伤是由于热沉积造成介质发生熔融所致,对此建立了基于傅里叶热传导方程的介质热损伤模型。通过计算两种模型下激光参数和材料参数对多脉冲损伤的影响,发现由于损伤机理不同,不同参数对单脉冲损伤阈值和多脉冲损伤阈值的影响趋势不完全一致,敏感程度也不同。通过计算得到了与实验结果一致的多脉冲损伤阈值与脉冲数间关系,使定量预估多脉冲损伤阈值和元件使用寿命成为可能。     

Development of discharge in a system of electrodes situated on interface of liquid and solid dielectrics

The development of a discharge in the case where the electrodes are situated at the interface of solid and liquid dielectrics was investigated with the aid of an apparatus based on two photomultipliers and an electrolytic tank. In these conditions the discharge develops along a single pathway, which runs along the interface for part of its length and then passes into the solid dielectric. Possible factors that predetermine the pathway of the spark channel in the considered system of electrodes and dielectrics are examined.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 9, pp. 61–66, September, 1978.     

A review of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy signal enhancement

A review of the methods of signal enhancement in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is presented. Conventional LIBS suffers from disadvantages of low sensitivity and high limits of detection compared with other analytical techniques, such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. During the last two decades, various methods have been applied to LIBS in order to realize highly quantitative and qualitative analysis. Current approaches include double-pulse excitation, spatial or magnetic confinement, spark discharge, etc. Different configurations of experimental setups and conditions are suggested for the realization of these improved techniques, while various parameters influence significantly on the enhancement effect. With the aim to study the laser ablation process and characterize the effectiveness of each method, several parameters such as plasma volume and emission intensity are reviewed. Several suggestions are proposed to explain the mechanism of each enhancement method. These modified techniques have been applied on various materials and fields.     

利用发射光谱进行常压介质阻挡放电等离子体诊断及其在材料表面改性上的应用(英文)

使用介质阻挡放电光谱诊断装置,对常压介质阻挡放电在材料改性过程中的等离子体发射光谱进行测量,记录和比较了空气、氦气和氩气常压介质阻挡放电等离子体发射光谱,并运用氩元素谱线的相对强度来诊断电子温度等物理参量,以达到对材料表面改性过程的实时监控。工作的结果对常压介质阻挡放电及其在材料改性上的应用具有重要的意义     

On the Populations of Neon Levels in the Low Temperature Plasma of a Hollow Cathode Discharge

Atomic levels population measurements constitute an essential contribution to various aspects of plasma research: balance and cross-section of inelastic processes, admixtures effects on level excitation mechanism, purposeful optimisation of plasma parameters etc. Atomic level populations in the negative glow of a hollow cathode discharge are of utmost interest in view of the peculiarities of the spectral source: a rich spectrum consisting of gas lines, lines of the cathode material and also lines of the substances introduced in the discharge; intensive atomic and ionic lines of high excitation potentials; small spectral linewidth, convenient for analytical purposes.     

Injection of material from a two-component sample into an electrical discharge plasma

A mathematical model is proposed for the process of injection of material from a two-component sample of limited weight into a discharge plasma in atomic emission spectral analysis. An analytical expression is obtained for the time dependence of the intensity of the spectral line for the element associated with a small impurity. It is shown that based on the ratio of the volatility factors for the impurity material and the matrix, three groups of analyte elements can be isolated with similar injection behavior. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental results shows their qualitative agreement.