Emission spectroscopy of atmospheric pressure plasmas for bio-medical and environmental applications

The paper demonstrates several ways of use of the UV-vis optical emission spectroscopy of medium resolution for the diagnostics of atmospheric pressure air and nitrogen plasmas relevant to bio-medical and environmental applications. Plasmas generated by DC discharges (streamer corona, transient spark, and glow discharge), AC microdischarges in porous ceramics, and microwave plasma were investigated. Molecular (OH, NO, CN) and atomic (H, O, N) radicals, and other active species, e.g. N₂ (C, B, A), (B), were identified. The composition of the emission spectra gives insight in the ongoing plasma chemistry. Rotational, i.e. gas, and vibrational temperatures were evaluated by fitting experimental with simulated spectra. Streamer corona, transient spark and microdischarges generate cold, strongly non-equilibrium plasmas (300-550 K), glow discharge plasma is hotter, yet non-equilibrium (1900 K), and microwave plasma is very hot and thermal (∼3000-4000 K). Electronic excitation temperature and OH radical concentration were estimated in the glow discharge assuming the chemical equilibrium and Boltzmann distribution (9800 K, 3 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³). Optical emission also provided the measurement of the active plasma size of the glow discharge, and enabled calculating its electron number density (10¹² cm⁻³).