Effect of water–methanol content on the structure of Nafion in the sandwich model and solvent dynamics in nano-channels; a molecular dynamics study

Continuing an ongoing study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate the effects of methanol concentration on Nafion morphology, such as the size of solvent cluster, solvent location, and polymer structure via the sandwich model. Our survey shows that high methanol concentrations resulted in increment of solvent cluster size in Nafion membrane. The sulfonic acid clusters also befall much in order as subsequent layers of such ionic clusters are formed. The number of neighbouring hydronium ions around a sulfur atom is independent of methanol concentration, but the first shell of hydronium and water around sulfonic acid clusters is broader. Although methanol would prefer to interact with water molecules rather than sulfonic acid groups, gathering of methanol molecules via hydrophobic self-aggregation is preferred. Methanol is located closer to the hydrophobic part of the polymer than water, while water is located closer to the hydrophilic part of the polymer. It was found that methanol distributes specifically more than water in nano-channels. Investigation of solvent dynamics in nano-channels shows that diffusion coefficients (D) of water, methanol, and hydronium decrease with increasing methanol concentration and they may be ordered as follows: D _Water?>?D _Methanol?>?D _Hydronium (D _Water?≈?1.6–2.0D _Methanol and D _Methanol?≈?2.1–3.0D _Hydronium).     

Studies of flow field characteristics during the impact of a gaseous jet on liquid–water column

Both experimental and numerical studies were presented on the flow field characteristics in the process of gaseous jet impinging on liquid–water column. The effects of the impinging process on the working performance of rocket engine were also analyzed. The experimental results showed that the liquid–water had better flame and smoke dissipation effect in the process of gaseous jet impinging on liquid–water column. However, the interaction between the gaseous jet and the liquid–water column resulted in two pressure oscillations with large amplitude appearing in the combustion chamber of the rocket engine with instantaneous pressure increased by 17.73% and 17.93%, respectively. To analyze the phenomena, a new computational method was proposed by coupling the governing equations of the MIXTURE model with the phase change equations of water and the combustion equation of propellant. Numerical simulations were carried out on the generation of gas, the accelerate gas flow, and the mutual interaction between gaseous jet and liquid–water column.Numerical simulations showed that a cavity would be formed in the liquid–water column when gaseous jet impinged on the liquid–water column. The development speed of the cavity increased obviously after each pressure oscillation. In the initial stage of impingement, the gaseous jet was blocked due to the inertia effect of high-density water, and a large amount of gas gathered in the area between the nozzle throat and the gas–liquid interface. The shock wave was formed in the nozzle expansion section. Under the dual action of the reverse pressure wave and the continuously ejected high-temperature gas upstream, the shock wave moved repeatedly in the nozzle expansion section, which led to the flow of gas in the combustion chamber being blocked, released, re-blocked, and re-released. This was also the main reason for the pressure oscillations in the combustion chamber.     

Dynamics of a camphoric acid boat at the air–water interface

We report experiments on an agarose gel tablet loaded with camphoric acid (c-boat) spontaneously set into motion by surface tension gradients on the water surface. We observe three distinct modes of c-boat motion: harmonic mode where the c-boat speed oscillates sinusoidally in time, a steady mode where the c-boat maintains constant speed, and an intermittent mode where the c-boat maintains near-zero speed between sudden jumps in speed. Whereas all three modes have been separately reported before in different systems, controlled release of Camphoric Acid (CA) from the agarose gel matrix allowed the observation of all the three modes in the same system. These three modes are a result of a competition between the driving (surface tension gradients) and drag forces acting on the c-boat. Moreover we suggest that there exist two time scales corresponding to spreading of CA and boat motion and the mismatch of these two time scales give rise to the three modes in boat motion. We reproduced all the modes of motion by varying the air–water interfacial tension using Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS).     

A study on effect of sonochemistry in a reverberation field

In this paper,an ultrasound with frequency of 815 kHz was used to re-search the sonochemical yield in a small-size reverberation field by the methodof fluorescent spectrum analysis.There are two characteristics on the effect ofsonochemistry in the reverberation field:First,the cavitation threshold wasabout 0.3W/cm~2(it was 0.7W/cm~2 in travelling field);Second,when thesound intensity was larger than the threshold,the sonochemical yield increasedas the intensity increased and increased rapidly after the intensity was at1.69-2.13W/cm~2,so that there was a upturned point in the curve of the result(which would tend to saturation in the travelling field).The theoretical analysisshows that the reason of the threshold decrease is that the sound energy densitybecomes high in the reverberation field,and the upturned point results from thedisturbance of the radiation pressure on the liquid surface.Therefore,by exper-iment and theory this paper shows that a reverberation field has to be built forthe higher sonoche     

Effect of the shape of an organic water–coal fuel particle on the condition and characteristics of its ignition in a hot air flow

The results of experimental studies of the effect of the shape of an organic water–coal fuel (OCWF) particle on its ignition delay time and the time of its complete burnout in a hot air flow are reported. Three most common shapes of real particles, such as spherical, ellipsoidal, and irregular-polyhedron-like, are considered. It is shown that the shortest ignition delay time and the time of complete burnout correspond to polyhedron- shaped OCWF particles. Conditions are identified under which this factor significantly influences the ignition characteristics. The experiments were carried out at initial particle sizes (averaged maximum values) of 0.5–5 mm and temperatures and velocities of the oxidant flow of 600–900 K and 0.5–5 m/s, respectively. The main components of the studied fuels were coal processing wastes and waste motor, turbine, and transformer oils.     

Effect of the plasma location on the deflagration-to-detonation transition of a hydrogen–air flame enhanced by nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges

This work presents a method for using nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) plasma discharges for accelerating a propagating flame such that the deflagration-to-detonation transition occurs. A strategy is developed for bringing the location of the plasma near the tube wall and, thus, reducing the presence of the electrodes in the combustion tube as well as presenting a configuration in which cooling of the electrodes is viable for practical applications. Time-of-flight measurements were used in combination with energy deposition measurements and high-speed OH*-chemiluminescence imagery to investigate the flame acceleration process. For stoichiometric hydrogen–air flames, successful transition to detonation was achieved by applying a burst of 110 pulses at 100 kHz, with energies as low as 10 mJ per pulse. This was also achieved when plasma discharges were applied in the vicinity of the wall. Two enhancement mechanisms for flame acceleration were identified. The essential role of shock–flame interaction was established as being the main mechanism for flame acceleration when the discharges are located near the wall. This work presents an effective alternative that allows for NRP discharges to be applied near the wall while successfully maintaining a promising success rate for detonation transition.     

Influence of Strouhal number on pulsating methane–air coflow jet diffusion flames

Four periodically time-varying methane–air laminar coflow jet diffusion flames, each forced by pulsating the fuel jet's exit velocity U _j sinusoidally with a different modulation frequency w _j and with a 50% amplitude variation, have been computed. Combustion of methane has been modeled by using a chemical mechanism with 15 species and 42 reactions, and the solution of the unsteady Navier–Stokes equations has been obtained numerically by using a modified vorticity-velocity formulation in the limit of low Mach number. The effect of w _j on temperature and chemistry has been studied in detail. Three different regimes are found depending on the flame's Strouhal number S = aw _j /U _j , with a denoting the fuel jet radius. For small Strouhal number (S = 0.1), the modulation introduces a perturbation that travels very far downstream, and certain variables oscillate at the frequency imposed by the fuel jet modulation. As the Strouhal number grows, the nondimensional frequency approaches the natural frequency of oscillation of the flickering flame (S ? 0.2). A coupling with the pulsation frequency enhances the effect of the imposed modulation and a vigorous pinch-off is observed for S = 0.25 and S = 0.5. Larger values of S confine the oscillation to the jet's near-exit region, and the effects of the pulsation are reduced to small wiggles in the temperature and concentration values. Temperature and species mass fractions change appreciably near the jet centerline, where variations of over 2 % for the temperature and 15 % and 40 % for the CO and OH mass fractions, respectively, are found. Transverse to the jet movement, however, the variations almost disappear at radial distances on the order of the fuel jet radius, indicating a fast damping of the oscillation in the spanwise direction.     

On the influence of the electron-velocity spread in a beam on the mechanism of Cherenkov beam–plasma interaction

The instability of an electron beam in cold plasma is considered in the linear potential approximation with different velocity-distribution functions of beam electrons. It is demonstrated that the mechanism of beam instability in plasma changes as the electron-velocity spread is increased: the hydrodynamic single-particle instability mode evolves into the hydrodynamic collective mode or the single-particle kinetic one. Instability growth rates in different modes are determined analytically and numerically.     

常压微波等离子体炬装置的模拟与设计

介绍了一台低成本的常压微波等离子体炬设备,给出了该设备构造及喷嘴的设计思路,分析了各种气体的非磁化微波等离子体的击穿电场强度,数值求解了设备中矩形TE103谐振腔中的电磁场分布,应用高频电磁场模拟分析软件HFSS优化了喷嘴在波导中的具体位置,并对优化后喷嘴周围的电场分布进行了模拟。模拟结果表明：微波输入有效功率为500 W,喷嘴伸出矩形波导1 mm时,喷嘴尖端处的电场强度在1.2×106 V·m-1以上,远大于氩气的击穿电场强度,更易于等离子体炬的激发。实验结果证明了模拟结果的正确性和装置的有效性。     

Surface modification of polypropylene with an atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in argon and an argon/water vapour mixture

In this paper, an atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in pure argon and an argon/water vapour mixture has been used to modify the surface of polypropylene (PP) films. The gas temperature of the plasma jet was found to be 625 K in an active zone between the electrodes and was found to increase in the afterglow. Based on these results, the PP films are placed as close as possible to the edge of the capillary in order to avoid thermal damage to the polymer. XPS results on the untreated and modified PP samples revealed incorporation of a significant amount of oxygen on the polymer surface, however, this oxygen inclusion is more pronounced for the argon/water vapour jet due to the higher radicals density in the jet afterglow. One can therefore conclude that adding water vapour to an argon plasma jet can be a convenient way to increase the efficiency of plasma surface modification.     

Basic characteristics of an atmospheric pressure rf generated plasma jet

A plasma jet has been developed which operates using radio frequency (rf) power and produces a stable homogeneous discharge at atmospheric pressure. Its discharge characteristics, especially the dependence of stable discharge operating range on the feed gas, were studied, and the electric parameters such as RMS current, RMS voltage and reflected power were obtained with different gas flows. These studies indicate that there is an optimum range of operation of the plasma jet for a filling with a gas mixture of He and O_2. Two "failure" modes of the discharge are identified. One is a filamentary arc when the input power is raised above a critical level, another is that the discharge disappears gradually as the addition of O_2 approaches 3.2%. Possible explanations for the two failure modes have been given. The current and voltage waveform measurements show that there is a clear phase shift between normal and failure modes. In addition, I－V curves as a function of pure helium and for 1% addition of oxygen have been studied.     

纳秒脉冲放电等离子体射流特性

采用单针式电极,使用单极性重复频率脉冲电源,在常压氦气、氩气、氮气和空气中得到等离子体射流,并改变电压、流量和气体种类,分别观察不同的实验条件对等离子体射流的影响。实验结果表明:射流长度随施加电压的增加而增长;随着流量的连续变化,射流长度先逐渐变长,达到峰值后由于湍流影响,长度又逐渐缩短,达到一定流量后趋于饱和。此外,不同工作气体中的等离子体射流呈现截然不同的外观,氦气和氩气中射流呈针状模式,长度可达7 cm以上;而在氮气和空气中,射流呈现为长度不超过2 cm的刷状模式。     

纳秒脉冲放电等离子体射流特性

采用单针式电极,使用单极性重复频率脉冲电源,在常压氦气、氩气、氮气和空气中得到等离子体射流,并改变电压、流量和气体种类,分别观察不同的实验条件对等离子体射流的影响。实验结果表明：射流长度随施加电压的增加而增长;随着流量的连续变化,射流长度先逐渐变长,达到峰值后由于湍流影响,长度又逐渐缩短,达到一定流量后趋于饱和。此外,不同工作气体中的等离子体射流呈现截然不同的外观,氦气和氩气中射流呈针状模式,长度可达7 cm以上;而在氮气和空气中,射流呈现为长度不超过2 cm的刷状模式。     

不同电极结构下大气压Ar等离子体射流的流体模拟研究

采用二维轴对称流体模型对比研究了3种不同电极结构下大气压Ar等离子体射流的基本特性。第一种是带绝缘介质的针电极结构（电场方向和气体流方向平行）,第二种是在第一种电极结构的介质管外增加一个垂直气流方向的接地环电极,第三种是不带绝缘介质的裸针电极结构。研究结果表明,接地环电极的引入对介质管内外的射流传播影响不同。在介质管内,接地环电极使管内表面附近的径向电场增加,电子密度升高,射流传播速度加快,但对中心轴附近的电场和电子密度影响很小;然而在介质管外,接地环电极的引入导致轴向和径向电场均减小,从而引起射流的传播长度减小,射流通道径向收缩。通过带绝缘介质的针电极和裸针电极结构的对比研究发现,保持其他条件不变,去掉包裹在针电极上的介质后,由于等离子体电势升高,电场增加,射流的传播长度几乎增加一倍,峰值电子密度增加近一个数量级,而且在整个射流通道内电子密度都保持相对高的值。此外,对3种电极结构下的主要活性粒子的产生和输运进行了比较研究。     

Development of a new atmospheric pressure cold plasma jet generator and application in sterilization

This paper reports that a new plasma generator at atmospheric pressure, which is composed of two homocentric cylindrical all-metal tubes, successfully generates a cold plasma jet. The inside tube electrode is connected to ground, the outside tube electrode is connected to a high-voltage power supply, and a dielectric layer is covered on the outside tube electrode. When the reactor is operated by low-frequency (6 kHz--20 kHz) AC supply in atmospheric pressure and argon is steadily fed as a discharge gas through inside tube electrode, a cold plasma jet is blown out into air and the plasma gas temperature is only 25--30℃. The electric character of the discharge is studied by using digital real-time oscilloscope (TDS 200-Series), and the discharge is capacitive. Preliminary results are presented on the decontamination of E.colis bacteria and Bacillus subtilis bacteria by this plasma jet, and an optical emission analysis of the plasma jet is presented in this paper. The ozone concentration generated by the plasma jet is 1.0×10¹⁶cm^-3 which is acquired by using the ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy.     

大气压冷等离子体射流研究进展

有许多种方法可用于在大气中产生等离子体射流,冷等离子体（离子温度在室温附近）射流即是其中的一种.近年来,人们发现氦气或其它惰性气体通过毛细管介质阻挡放电形成的冷等离子体射流具有类似子弹的传输特性,在有机材料表面改性、等离子体医学等领域获得了广泛的应用.通过专门设计的一系列实验,我们逐渐揭示了其产生机理,并深入研究了传输特性.文章简要介绍近年来我们所做的有关大气压冷等离子体的实验过程以及获得的一些重要结论.在对这种等离子体深入了解的基础上,作者还开发了一种新装置,该装置的最大特点是既利用了氦气在辅助放电方面的特性,又不消耗这种昂贵的资源;并且它还特别适合于在臭氧层修复、等离子体医学等方面的应用.     

Comparison of two cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet configurations in argon

The present study compares the operation of two cold atmospheric plasma jet (CAPJ) configurations: needle-to-cylinder electrode configuration (CAPJ I) and single high-voltage cylinder electrode around the quartz tube (CAPJ II). The CAPJs were operated in argon flowing through a quartz capillary with 0.5-mm inner diameter into the ambient air, and the plasma was generated by sinusoidal kHz frequency AC power supplies. The main emphasis of the study was on the mechanism of the initiation of ionization waves for these two configurations. For both CAPJs, there appeared several ionization waves during one half-period of the applied voltage waveform, and the number of ionization waves increased at higher voltage amplitudes. However, we discovered marked differences in the initiation of the ionization waves for two different CAPJ configuration. The applied voltage controlled the initiation of consecutive ionization waves, which propagated from the grounded electrode towards the tube orifice in CAPJ I. In the case of CAPJ II, certain time had to pass for the initiation of a new ionization wave, and subsequent ionization waves within the same half-period started at the tube orifice. In addition to the differences in the initiation of the ionization waves, we observed that the CAPJ I was ignited and sustained at lower voltages, while CAPJ II produced a longer plasma jet. The observed advantages and deficiencies of investigated CAPJ configurations point out their potential in different applications.     

脉冲电压上升沿对He大气压等离子体射流管内放电发展演化特性的影响

通过仿真和实验相结合的手段,以直流脉冲电压驱动的双环电极结构He大气压等离子体射流为例,研究了电压上升沿时间对管内放电等离子体发展演化特性的影响.随着电压上升沿的改变,管内介质阻挡放电(dielectric barrier discharge, DBD)区出现空心和实心两种放电模式.上升沿为纳秒和亚微秒量级时,以空心模式发展,上升沿持续增加后转变为实心模式.放电模式本质上受鞘层厚度、管内电场和表面电荷密度分布的影响,鞘层厚度小于1.8 mm时等离子体通常以空心模式传播,等于1.8 mm时等离子体的径向传播范围有限而转变为实心传播.管内DBD区,电场以轴向分量为主时,等离子体以放电起始时的模式传播;而在地电极内部,由于外施电场方向发生径向偏转,同时管壁沉积的正电荷形成径向自建电场,两者叠加形成的强径向电场致使放电以空心模式传播.