Correlation Between the Electrical and Optical Properties of an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma During Siloxane Coating Deposition

The effect of varying process parameters on atmospheric plasma characteristics and properties of nanometre thick siloxane coatings is investigated in a reel-to-reel deposition process. Varying plasma operation modes were observed with increasing applied power for helium and helium/oxygen plasmas. The electrical and optical behaviour of the dielectric barrier discharge were determined from current/voltage, emission spectroscopy and time resolved light emission measurements. As applied power increased, multiple discharge events occurred, producing a uniform multi-peak pseudoglow discharge, resulting in an increase in the discharge gas temperature. The effects of different operating modes on coating oxidation and growth rates were examined by injecting hexamethyldisiloxane liquid precursor into the chamber under varying operating conditions. A quenching effect on the plasma was observed, causing a decrease in plasma input power and emission intensity. Siloxane coatings deposited in helium plasmas had a higher organic component and higher growth rates than those deposited in helium/oxygen plasmas.     

A Global Model of Chemical Vapor Deposition of Silicon Dioxide by Direct-Current Corona Discharges in Dry Air Containing Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane Vapor

A model of the electron distribution in direct current corona plasmas is combined with a global chemistry model and a two-dimensional transport model to predict the rate of chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide on the discharge wire in both positive and negative discharges in dry air containing octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. The gas-phase chemistry includes reactions to form atomic oxygen (O) and additional global reactions to form gaseous silicon dioxide precursors by the impact reactions of electrons and atomic oxygen with silicone molecules. Surface chemistry is approximated by a single step global reaction from gaseous to solid silicon dioxide. The rate coefficient between atomic oxygen and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane is estimated from prior experiments to be on the order of 10^–12 cm³/molecule-s. The effects of discharge polarity, current, wire radius and air velocity (Peclet number for mass transfer) on the deposition rate are considered. Deposition rates can be minimized by using positive coronas instead of negative coronas for Peclet number less than 18.5. At higher Peclet numbers, the deposition rate is slightly higher in positive corona discharges, but devices used indoors should continue to use the positive corona in order to minimize the production of ozone. The deposition rate in the positive corona is relatively insensitive to air velocity for velocities from 0.044 to 10 m/s^–1 . However,it may be minimized by operating the corona with the lowest current that provides adequate performance (e.g., particle charging) and the smallest wire that provides adequate mechanical strength.     

Cracking study of pentakis(dimethylamino)tantalum vapors by Knudsen cell mass spectrometry

Organometallic molecules are commonly used as gaseous precursors in Atomic Layer Deposition/Chemical Vapor Deposition (ALD/CVD) processes. However, the use of these molecules, which are generally thermally unstable at temperatures close to the deposition temperature, requires an understanding of their gas‐phase chemical behavior. The thermal cracking of the gaseous precursor, pentakis(dimethylamino) tantalum (PDMAT), generally adopted in the ALD/CVD TaN deposition processes, has been studied in the temperature range from 343 to 723K using a specific reactor coupled with a high‐temperature mass spectrometer. This reactor – built as tandem Knudsen cells – consists of two superimposed cells. The first stage reactor – an evaporation cell – provides an input saturated vapor flow operating from room temperature to 333K. The second stage cell, named the cracking cell, operated from 333 to 723K in the present study. Experiments showed the appearance of many gaseous species when the cracking temperature increased and, in particular, dimethylamine, corresponding to the saturated organic branches of PDMAT. Decomposition products of the HNC₂H₆ branch were observed at relatively high temperature, namely above 633K. This gas‐phase study – as for the preceding saturated one – shows the presence of oxygen‐containing molecules in PDMAT cracked vapor. Thus, it explains the systematic presence of oxygen contamination in the deposited TaN films observed in ALD/CVD industrial processes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diamond Deposition on Substrates with Different Geometries in a Thermal Plasma Reactor

The effects of process parameters on diamond film deposition have been considered in an atmospheric-pressure dc thermal plasma jet reactor. Two different precursor injection systems have been evaluated, counterflow and side injection. The precursor flow rate using ethanol has been found to strongly affect crystal size as well as orientation of crystal growth planes. Further, crystal size on sharp edges has been found to be up to five times larger than on planar surfaces. The effects of substrate geometry on the morphology and area of deposited diamond have been investigated as well. The results of this study show that dc thermal plasma jets can provide high diamond deposition rates, for example on wires and drills, although crystal size and film thickness show substantial variation.     

Analysis of the contribution of sedimentation to bacterial mass transport in a parallel plate flow chamber

In order to investigate bacterium-substratum interactions, understanding of bacterial mass transport is necessary. Comparisons of experimentally observed initial deposition rates with mass transport rates in parallel-plate-flow-chambers (PPFC) predicted by convective-diffusion yielded deposition efficiencies above unity, despite electrostatic repulsion. It is hypothesized that sedimentation is the major mass transport mechanism in a PPFC. The contribution of sedimentation to the mass transport in a PPFC was experimentally investigated by introducing a novel microscopy-based method. First, height-dependent bacterial concentrations were measured at different times and flow rates and used to calculate bacterial sedimentation velocities. For Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12600, a sedimentation velocity of 240 μm h(-1) was obtained. Therewith, sedimentation appeared as the predominant contribution to mass transport in a PPFC. Also in the current study, deposition efficiencies of S. aureus ATCC 12600 with respect to the Smoluchowski-Levich solution of the convective-diffusion equation were four-to-five fold higher than unity. However, calculation of deposition efficiencies with respect to sedimentation were below unity and decreased from 0.78 to 0.36 when flow rates increased from 0.017 to 0.33 cm(3) s(-1). The proposed analysis of bacterial mass transport processes is simple, does not require additional equipment and yields a more reasonable interpretation of bacterial deposition in a PPFC.     

Mass and momentum transport in extra-luminal flow (ELF) membrane devices for blood oxygenation

In this paper, we report on the characterisation of transport in membrane modules for blood oxygenation where blood is circulated outside hollow fibre membranes arranged in double layer cross-laid mats at an angle with respect to the main direction of blood flow. The effect of design and operating variables on module performance was investigated with respect to oxygen transfer into water, as gaseous oxygen and water are circulated counter-currently, respectively inside the membrane lumen and through the membrane assembly.Increasing water flow rates and membrane angles enhanced oxygen transfer across the membrane and resulted in robust operation but also in high pressure drops.Module pressure drop and oxygen transfer rate were correlated to module geometry, fibre packing density, water flow rate and membrane angle with respect to the main direction of the liquid flow in non-dimensional equations that can be used by membrane module manufacturers for the design of optimal ELF blood oxygenators. The results suggest that an optimum membrane angle exists, beyond which module operation is not convenient in terms of energy.     

Polymerization of para-xylylene derivatives. VI. morphology of parylene N and parylene C films investigated by gas transport characteristics

Polychloro-p-xylylene (Parylene C) and poly-p-xylylene (Parylene N) films were synthesized in vacuum with and without the presence of 42 mtorr of argon at various deposition temperatures and three different dimer sublimation rates. Depending on the synthesis conditions, the morphology of the films can vary from a homogeneous (nonporous) structure to a heterogeneous (porous) structure. The transport coefficients of the gases He, O₂, N₂, and CO₂ through these films were measured at 25°C. The transport coefficients for both types of films vary with the deposition temperature and the dimer sublimation rate. The variation, however, cannot be solely explained by the change of crystallinity. Anomalous transport behavior is observed in the homogeneous, as-synthesized polymers of relatively high crystalline content (above 20–30%). In many cases the permeabilities and diffusivities increase despite an increase in crystallinity. The effects of crystallization induced by isothermal and solvent annealing on the transport coefficients of polymers of Parylene C are different from those of Parylene N synthesized with or without argon. The mean pore size and effective porosity of the porous films were calculated from gas permeation data. For Parylene C and Parylene N porous films synthesized without argon, increasing the dimer sublimation rate or decreasing the deposition temperature increases the mean pore size but decreases the effective porosity. For Parylene N porous films synthesized in the presence of argon, increasing the dimer sublimation rate or decreasing the deposition temperature results in a decrease in the mean pore size but an increase in the effective porosity. Overall, no appreciable change in transport coefficients is observed upon addition of an inert gas.     

EDTA-柠檬酸法合成的SrCo0.8Fe0.2O3-δ钙钛矿的结构及制氧性能研究

采用EDTA-柠檬酸联合络合法合成了钙钛矿型金属氧化物SrCo_0.8Fe_0.2O_3-δ(SCF182)粉体。通过XRD和ESEM研究了前驱体溶液不同的pH值对合成的SCF182粉体的晶体结构和微观形貌的影响。并采用固定床实验研究前驱体溶液pH值对SCF182的氧吸附/脱附性能的影响。结果表明,pH值对SCF182晶胞结构和参数影响不大,但影响SCF182的晶粒粒径和微观形貌,当pH值为8的弱碱性条件下时,能够合成蓬松多孔网状纳米结构的钙钛矿粉体。固定床实验显示,前驱体溶液的pH值影响合成的粉体SCF182的氧吸附速率;且SCF182的氧脱附性能随pH值的增大先升高后降低,pH值为8时氧脱附量达到峰值为42.2 mg/g。     

Turbulent flow technique for the estimation of oxygen diffusive permeability of membranes for the oxygenation of blood and other cell suspensions

When transport-efficient membrane modules (such as those where the liquid flows outside hollow fibre membranes) or membranes with prolonged resistance to wetting are used for the oxygenation of blood or other cell suspensions, membrane contribution to the overall oxygen transfer resistance into the liquid may become significant. Thus, estimation of membrane diffusive permeability towards relevant gases (e.g., oxygen) is important to develop new membranes and to ensure reproducible commercial membrane performance.

In this paper, we report on a turbulent flow technique for the estimation of the oxygen diffusive permeability of membranes used in outside-flow oxygenators. Water is re-circulated under turbulent flow conditions in a closed-loop from a reservoir to the shell of lab-scale membrane modules. The overall oxygen transfer to water coefficient is estimated at increasing water flow rates from the time the change of dissolved oxygen tension in the stream leaving the water reservoir occurs. Oxygen diffusive permeability is estimated as the reciprocal overall transfer resistance at infinitely high water flow rates, for negligible gas-side oxygen transport resistance. The technique was used to estimate oxygen diffusive permeability of commercial Oxyphan^® polypropylene membranes for blood oxygenation and of two laboratory polypropylene membranes, the one featuring a microporous wall structure with smaller-than-standard pore size, the other featuring an outer thin, dense layer supported by a thick spongy layer. The turbulent flow technique yields oxygen diffusive permeability estimates consistent both with membrane hydraulic permeability towards gaseous nitrogen, membrane wall structure, and with values in literature obtained using a liquid reactive with oxygen, but without the complications associated with reaction and physical transport kinetic characterisation. We conclude that the turbulent flow technique is a useful tool in the development and quality control of membranes for the oxygenation of blood and other cell suspensions.     

Kinetics and mechanisms of crystal growth and diffusion in a glass-forming liquid

Extensive data on the viscosity, covering 15 orders of magnitude, and crystal growth rate, covering seven orders of magnitude, of liquid diopside (CaO.MgO.2SiO(2)) were collected in a wide range of undercoolings from 1.10T(g) to 0.99T(m) (T(g) is the glass transition temperature and T(m) the melting point). The raw growth rate data were corrected for the increased interfacial temperature produced by the heat released during crystallization. A detailed analysis confirms that growth mediated by screw dislocations reasonably explain the experimental data in these wide ranges of temperatures and growth rates. Effective diffusion coefficients were calculated from crystal growth rates and from viscosity, and were then compared with measured self-diffusion coefficients of silicon and oxygen in diopside melt. The results show that oxygen and silicon control the diffusion dynamics involved in crystal growth and viscous flow. This study not only unveils the transport mechanism in this complex liquid, but also validates the use of viscosity (through the Stokes-Einstein or the Eyring equations) to account for the kinetic term of the crystal growth expression in a wide range of temperatures.     

Transport of organic dyes through ether-type polyurethane membrane

Transport of various anthraquinone, acidic and basic dyes in aqueous solution through ether-type polyurethane membrane has been studied to better define the factors affecting the removal of organic compounds by the polyurethane membrane and to complement the previously proposed sorption mechanism. The effects of pH, salts, dye geometry and size, initial dye concentration, thickness of the membrane, and solution temperature on the rate of transport were investigated. Transport was found to be dependent upon the pH conditions of the starting and the receiving solutions. An increased rate of transport was observed with increased solution temperature and with the use of a thinner polyurethane membrane. The differences in the rates of transport can be attributed to the relative solubility of the organic dyes in the membrane and in solution, and to the strength and extent of intermolecular interactions with the polymer. Dye concentration, geometry and size, and the presence of salts in solution had no significant effect on the rate of transport. All of the studied dyes were found to exist as neutral species in the membrane.     

Détermination des cinétiques de croissance et de dissolution du perborate de sodium tetrahydrate en lit fluidisé

The authors present the results of an experimental study on the crystallization of tetrahydrate sodium perborate in a fluidized bed. The influences of supersaturation, seed crystal size, temperature and solution velocity on the overall growth rate were examined. The overall dissolution rate determined under comparable hydrodynamical conditions for various seed crystal sizes and temperatures is also reported.The growth rate is not very sensitive to the variations in crystal size, the temperature and the hydrodynamical conditions, but it depends on the supersaturation and the presence of some soluble impurities.The comparison between growth and dissolution rates shows that under actual working conditions the diffusional mass transfer step is not the limiting step of the growth mechanism.     

Electron-ion recombination in dense gaseous and liquid argon: effects due to argon cation clusters allow to explain the experimental data

The role of cation clusters in the bulk electron-ion recombination in dense gaseous and liquid argon is investigated. The size and structure of cation clusters in those systems are determined by a Monte Carlo simulation. Then, the rate constants of electron-ion recombination are calculated by another simulation method that takes into account the presence of cation clusters in the considered systems. A good agreement with experiment for both dense gaseous and liquid argon is obtained.     

Continuous flow hydroformylation of alkenes in supercritical fluid-ionic liquid biphasic systems

A process for the hydroformylation of relatively low volatility alkenes (demonstrated for 1-dodecene) in a continuous flow system is described. The catalyst is dissolved in an ionic liquid while the substrate and gaseous reagents are transported into the reactor dissolved in supercritical CO(2), which simultaneously acts as a transport vector for aldehyde products. Decompression of the fluid mixture downstream yields products which are free of both reaction solvent and catalyst. The use of rhodium complexes of triaryl phosphites leads to ligand degradation through reaction of the ionic liquid with water and subsequent attack of the released HF on the phosphite. Sodium salts of sulfonated phosphines are insufficiently soluble in the ionic liquids to obtain acceptable rates, but replacing the sodium by a cation similar to that derived from the ionic liquid, allows good solubility and activity to be obtained. The nature of the ionic liquid is very important in achieving high rates, with 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amides giving the best activity if the alkyl chain is at least C(8). Catalyst turnover frequencies as high as 500 h(-1) have been observed, with the better rates at higher substrate flow rates. Rhodium leaching into the product stream can be as low as 0.012 ppm, except at low partial pressures of CO/H(2), when it is significantly higher. Oxygen impurities in the CO(2) feed can lead to oxidation of the phosphine giving higher rates, lower selectivities to the linear aldehyde, increased alkene isomerization and greater leaching of rhodium. However, it is found that under certain process conditions, the supercritical fluid-ionic liquid (SCF-IL) system can be operated continuously for several weeks without any visible sign of catalyst degradation. Comparisons with commercial hydroformylation processes are provided.     

Effect of high rates of mass transport on oxygen reduction at copper electrodes: Implications for aluminium corrosion

The reduction of oxygen at copper microelectrodes (25 μm diameter) in aqueous solution (pH 7) has been studied under conditions of high mass transport, similar to those experienced by μm sized copper-containing inclusions in aluminium alloys during corrosion. Contrary to previous studies at copper electrodes operating at lower mass transport rates, oxygen reduction limiting currents show an apparent number of electrons which decrease towards 2 as the mass transport rate increases (mass transfer coefficients up to ca. 0.55 cm s⁻¹), rather than a 4-electron process. These new data suggest that the treatment of oxygen reduction as a 4-electron transfer process at micron and smaller-sized copper intermetallics in aluminium alloys may require revision.     

Characterization of a high-pressure quadrupole collision cell for low-energy collision-indneed dissociation

A RF-only quadrupole collision cell of new design has been evaluated for use in tandem mass spectrometry experiments as a component of a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The new design permits operation at values of collision gas thickness higher by 1 order of magnitude than those used in most cells of this type. When operated at sufficiently high collision gas pressures, the transmission efficiency for precursor ions increases with increasing pressure, often to values greater than those observed in the absence of collision gas. Simultaneously, the attainable resolving power for fragment ions across the entire mass-to-charge ratio range, even for multiply charged precursors, also increases to the point where isomers of a quadruply charged fragment are resolved. The performance of the cell, judged in terms of yields and resolution of fragment ions, has been investigated as a function of the nature and pressure of collision gas, the kinetic energy of the precursor ions that enter the cell, and of the size and charge state of the precursors. The enhanced performance is explicable in terms of a marked deceleration of all ions that emerge from the cell to very low energies, probably a few tens of millielectronvolts, so that the cell effectively acts as an ion source for the second mass filter (fragment ion analyzer) to provide a spectrum of ions of fixed axial energy. The high transmission efficiency appears to arise from a collisional focusing effect analogous to that exploited in three-dimensional RF ion traps. The low axial energies imply that ion transit times through the cell are sufficiently long (several milliseconds) that, in precursor ion experiments where the first mass filter is scanned, a hysteresis effect is observed. This implies that in this operating mode compromises must be sought between scan speed and quality of peak shape. Examples are given of spectra obtained under realistic operating conditions that employ flow injection of samples.     

Application of an intensified narrow channel reactor to the aqueous phase precipitation of barium sulphate

A homogeneous liquid phase reaction between barium chloride (BaCl(2)) and sodium sulphate (Na(2)SO(4)) was conducted in a narrow channel reactor to produce barium sulphate (BaSO(4)) precipitate. The effects of channel dimensions and channel residence times on crystal size, crystal size distribution, nucleation rates, crystal morphology and conversion of reactants were investigated at different levels of reactant supersaturation ratio. Our results indicate that the smallest particle sizes are favoured when supersaturation ratios and channel velocities are high. The minimum average particle diameter observed was approximately 0.2 microm in a channel of hydraulic diameter 0.5 mm and length 20 cm at an initial supersaturation ratio of 4483 (0.1 M), which correspond to conditions giving rise to the highest nucleation rates. It has also been observed that particle size depends on the conversion to product, the smallest particles being formed when conversion lies within the range of 30 to 40%. Conversions in excess of 60% have been reached but there is a detectable limiting effect with increased supersaturation and reduced residence times. Experiments conducted at similar levels of supersaturation under stirred tank conditions showed that particle size was consistently larger and particle size distribution was much broader than that achieved in the narrow channel reactor. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the crystals formed in the narrow channels show that spherical particles dominate in the smallest channels at high velocities whilst coarse, tabular crystals are obtained in the larger channels. Greater tendency to agglomerate is also observed at high supersaturation ratios, after one minute of reaction.     

化学气相淀积法合成氮化铝薄膜及其工艺设计

对ＡｌＢｒ３－ＮＨ３－Ｎ２体系化学气相淀积法合成Ａ１Ｎ膜进行了热力学分析和工艺设计，研究了在不同淀积温度和体系总压时，体系中主要气态物种的平衡分压和Ａ１Ｎ膜的理论淀积速率与源温和载气流量的关系，并与微波等离子体化学气相淀积Ａ１Ｎ膜的实验结果进行了比较。     

Oxygen tensioactivity on liquid-metal drops

The influence of oxygen on the surface tension of liquid metals is a topic of undoubted interest as the formation of oxide films, or even oxygen contamination of the metal interface, represents the main source of error in determining the surface tension. The evaluation of gas-atmosphere mass exchanges under stationary conditions allows the evaluation of an effective oxygen pressure at which the oxidation of metal becomes evident. This effective oxygen pressure can be considered as a property of the system and, according to experimental evidence, can be many orders of magnitude greater than the equilibrium pressure. The measurement of the surface tension is a good way of studying interface properties, their temporal change and their connections to transport and reaction rates. This paper represents a review of a work undertaken with the aim of understanding oxygen mass transport at the liquid metal surface in relation to the study of capillary phenomena at high temperature.     

Emulsion liquid membranes: Role of internal droplet size distribution on toluene/n-heptane separation

Using oil/water/oil-type emulsion liquid membranes, batch wise extraction experiments are carried out to separate toluene from a mixture of toluene and n-heptane. In the separation process using emulsion liquid membranes, the internal phase polydispersity affects mass transport of a solute because under steady operating conditions, internal droplet size and size distribution are proportional to the interfacial area. The present study aims to assess the polydispersity character of the internal droplets of emulsion globules. In this paper, the important variables affecting dispersed drop sizes as well as internal droplets mean diameter and size distribution of the emulsion globule, including impeller speed during emulsification, surfactant concentration, volume ratio of surfactant solution, carrier concentration and composition of feed phase are systematically investigated.