In order to investigate the effects and optical properties in the mid-infrared region, thin films of PEDOT:PSS were spin-coated on ITO glasses and ITO/Ag nanoparticles substrates. Scanning Electron Microscopy, SEM, has been applied to investigate the surface morphology and measure the size of nanoparticles. Dielectric and optical coefficients such as refractive index, n, and extinction coefficient, k, were calculated by applying Kramers-Kronig dispersion relations to the experimentally recorded near normal reflection FTIR spectra. Different analyses confirm that Ag nanoparticles are present in the structure of the synthesized thin films. The recorded Raman spectra have shown that the intensity enhancement of Raman peaks of PEDOT:PSS increases due to the plasmon resonance of Ag colloidal silver nanoparticles layer and optical properties investigation has confirmed the electrical conductivity increase in the mid-infrared region.

Using molecular dynamics simulations, we exploit a charge-driven flip-flop that is composed several water molecules confined in a single-walled carbon nanotube. The flip-flop has two stable states and can be used to store state information. It can toggle between the two states within 2.5–3.5 ps (286 GHz–400 GHz). We reveal that the underlying mechanism is dominated by the interaction between the water molecules and nonuniform electric field generated by point charges. Namely, each water molecule tends to maintain its lowest electric energy by moving toward the location with the highest field strength. This flip-flop may be of value for molecular computing.

Gliding arc discharge is one of the unique plasmas of which the dynamic behavior is extremely complex in time and space. In this work, we report on time-resolved dynamic behavior of gliding arc discharge plasma in He and Ar using comparison of obtained results between high-speed camera (54 000 fps) photographs and the corresponding electrical properties. Both measurements were synchronized via an external trigger. For a gliding arc discharge in Ar 20 L/min, gliding of serpentine plasma was observed due to turbulent gas flow and reconnections of plasma path were observed. It was revealed that the applied voltage was decreased and small pulsed current flowed at the moment of the reconnection.

Neodymium-doped zinc oxide (NZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that both undoped and Nd-doped ZnO films exhibit the hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with a preferential orientation along [0 0 2] direction.

The effective doping concentration has been determined by Rutherford backscattering measurements showing that the neodymium is not incorporated easily into ZnO host matrix. The surface roughness was shown to increase with Nd doping. NZO films are highly transparent in the visible region. The lowest electrical resistivity value of about 4.0 10−2 Ω cm was obtained for 1% Nd effective doping.

CoxTi1–xO2 films were deposited by spray pyrolysis technique on Si(1 0 0) substrates at 475 °C. A hydro-alcoholic solution containing titanium (iv) isopropoxide and Co(NO3)2 with various Co doping levels from x = 0–0.015 in solution was used as spray solution. Grazing incident angle of X-ray diffraction illustrates that the CoxTi1–xO2 films are single phase and polycrystal with mixed orientations. Study of surface morphology of the films by atomic force microscope reveals that the annealing atmosphere does not significantly affect the grain size and the microstructure of the films. This study provides further insight into the importance of annealing atmosphere on magnetization of the films. Room temperature magneto-optical Kerr measurement was employed in polar mode. A hysteresis loop and a paramagnetic behavior have been recorded for samples annealed in H2 ambient gas and air, respectively. Chemical composition analysis by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy showed that Co atoms are bounded to oxygen and no metallic clusters are present. Moreover, it indicates the formation of high spin Co2+ for the sample x = 0.008 annealed in H2 ambient gas. The origin of magnetization can be attributed to the contribution of oxygen vacancies in the spin polarization of the structure.

This work was aimed at experimental investigations of deactivation of different types of microorganisms by using atmospheric pressure low-temperature microwave microplasma source (MmPS). The MmPS was operated at standard microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz. Its main advantages are simple and cheap construction, portability and possibility of penetrating into small cavities. The microplasma deactivation concerned two types of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis) and one fungus (Aspergillus niger). The quality as well as quantity tests were performed. The influence of the microorganism type, oxygen concentration, absorbed microwave power, microplasma treatment time and MmPS distance from the treated sample on the microorganism deactivation efficiency was investigated. All experiments were performed for Ar microplasma and Ar/O2 microplasma with up to 3% of O2. Absorbed microwave power was up to 50 W. The Ar flow rate was up to 10 L/min. The sample treatment time was up to 10 s.

In this study, broadside-coupled triangular split-ring-resonators are designed and simulated as THz sensors. Their double-side sensing capability provides sensitivity enhancement compared with singlesided sensors. The material to be detected is modeled as an over-layer on the structure. The ensuing change of the transmission resonances is investigated as a function in the thickness and permittivity of the substrate and of the one- or two-sided over-layer. The propagation direction of the incident wave also allows to select the excited mode (via the polarization of the radiation) which provides additional flexibility to the proposed sensor device by the possibility to operate it over a larger frequency range. Overall, the polarization dependency of the structure, the double-side sensing and the high sensitivity make such structures attractive as THz sensors.

In this paper a transient finite volume model for electrodynamic levitation devices analysis has been developed. Both electromagnetic and mechanical equations are time stepped and coupled to give the dynamic characteristic of the motion. Furthermore, the nonconforming mesh technique is introduced to take movement into account. To check the efficiency and accuracy of the transient finite volume method (FVM) model, the Team Workshop Problem 28 is used.

The phase modulation of transparent gas can be detected using Fraunhofer diffraction technique, which we call optical wave microphone (OWM). The OWM is suitable for the detection of sonic wave from audible sound to ultrasonic wave. Because this technique has no influence on sound field or electric field during the measurement, we have applied it to the sound detection for the electric discharges. There is almost no research paper that uses the discharge sound to examine the electrical discharge phenomenon. Two-dimensional visualization of the sound field using the OWM is also possible when the computerized tomography (CT) is combined. In this work, coplanar dielectric barrier discharge sin different gases of Ar, N2, He were characterized via the OWM as well as applied voltage and discharge current. This is the first report to investigate the influence of the type of the atmospheric gas on the two-dimensional sound field distribution for the coplanar dielectric barrier discharge using the OWM with CT.

The transmission of electromagnetic wave through a planar chiral structure, loaded with the gyrotropic medium being under an action of the longitudinal magnetic field, is studied. The frequency dependence of the metamaterial resonance and the angle of rotation of the polarization plane are obtained. We demonstrate both theoretically and experimentally a resonant enhancement of the Faraday rotation. The ranges of frequency and magnetic field strength are defined, where the angle of polarization plane rotation for the metamaterial is substantially higher than that one for a single ferrite slab.

The article presents the plasma synthesis method of carbon nanotubes using an electric arc discharge. In this method different carbon nanotubes are produced as a cathode deposit growth or are deposed on various substrates such as silicon, metals and other materials. The examples of applications of carbon nanotubes in medical applications were presented. Conditions required for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes and process parameters were mentioned. Applications of carbon nanotubes for cancer treatment were discussed. The method of temperature measurement of the arc was described.

We report the magneto-optical Kerr signal enhancement due to the capping effect of SnO2 on the Co67Fe4B14.5Si14.5 amorphous ribbons. The amorphous melt spun ribbons are mounted on glass substrate and capped by SnO2 with different thicknesses by using electron-beam evaporation technique. The magnetic behavior of the ribbons is investigated by the magneto-optical Kerr effect. As the SnO2 layer thickness increases up to about 70 nm, the Kerr signal increases more than two times with respect to that for uncovered ribbon. The results were analyzed using a formalism based on a 4 × 4 matrix method. A good agreement of the experimental results with the theoretical results is observed.

The axial shift and the spin Hamiltonian parameters (zero-field splitting D, g factors and hyperfine structure constants) for Cr+ in BeO are theoretically studied in this work. The calculations are carried out by using the perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 3d5 ion under trigonally distorted tetrahedra based on the cluster approach containing both the crystal-field and charge transfer contributions. It is found that the impurity Cr+ may not occupy exactly the host Be2+ site but experience a small outward shift 0.01 Å away from the ligand triangle along the C3 axis. The above impurity axial shift leads to much smaller trigonal distortion than the host Be2+ site in BeO. The theoretical spin Hamiltonian parameters based on the above impurity axial shift are in good agreement with the observed values.

In this study, we report a method to generate a reliable and homogeneous brush-shape air plasma plume at atmospheric pressure for surface modification of PET polymers and biomedical applications. The room-temperature air plasma plume consists of well-aligned and stable microplasma jets formed in the vicinity of the ends of hollow optical fibers at atmospheric pressure. This plasma plume may lead to the uniform and large-area surface modification of PET polymers. The plasma plume may efficiently prevent the heat-sensitive polymers from being damaged and significantly affect the surface properties of treated polymers, such as surface chemical compositions, hydrophobicity and biocompatibility. Compared to a high density of blood platelets adhering onto the untreated PET sample, no adhesion of blood platelets is observed on the plasma-activated PET sample due to the surface functionalization. The reaction processes of plasma-activated species at the surface of treated polymers are discussed based on the obtained experimental results.

Results of experimental investigation of a dielectric barrier surface discharge over barriers with different films deposited on their surface show evident dependence of the microdischarge structure, their intensity and their charge on the surface structure and chemical composition of the barrier surface. Measured profiles of barrier surface structures by means of a laser scanning microscope are used to calculate the electric field distribution in air in the vicinity of the barrier surface. The local electric field near the surface is shown to have strong dependence on the surface profile elements (highness of protrusions, curvature radii of their peaks and the distance between neighbor protrusions). It is shown that the values of local fields are sufficient for ionization processes in air and it is supposed that such additional ionization is one of the main factors to change the discharge behavior.

Carbon steel (C75) is exposed to highly reactive species such as hydroxyl radicals OH created by a gliding arc discharge (GAD) in humid air at atmospheric pressure. The protective properties of carbon steel treated by GAD are studied versus different treatment times (t) and for an immersion in corroding 0.5 M sodium chloride solution during 24 h. Evolutions of corrosion rate are studied using weight loss measurements and electrochemical methods, e.g., electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. The results obtained by GAD treatment show that the corrosion rate of steel decreases with the ennoblement of the corrosion potential and the decrease of the corrosion current density. This indicates that the plasma treatment acts as an anodic type inhibitor and suggests the formation of a protective layer. EIS measurements confirm the presence of this film: the charge transfer resistance (Rct) increases with GAD treatment time, leading to a corrosion inhibition efficiency around 73% for a treatment time equal to 60 min. This confirms the importance of the plasma effect. The gliding arc discharge is a clean and efficient technology for the surface treatment of carbon steel; it improves the anticorrosion properties of steel in aggressive environments, forming a resistant and insulating barrier.

Quantitative flow fields from the acoustic streaming were measured experimentally using the stereoscopic PIV. The acoustic streaming pattern between the ultrasonic transducer and stationary plate, maximum acoustic streaming velocity, velocity variation at resonance and non-resonance, variation of flow pattern and velocity with gap variation were experimentally verified. The maximum acoustic velocity between the gap in the open channel at resonance and non-resonance was located at the ultrasonic transducer center at radial direction and at the neighborhood of the ultrasonic transducer at axial direction. In the vicinity of the ultrasonic transducer surface, larger average acoustic velocity occurred at the edge of the transducer than at the transducer center at the resonant gap. At non-resonant gap, the maximum acoustic velocity exists toward the edge of the transducer. The turbulent intensity varied with gap size and maximum value existed at the transducer center with radial direction and at surface of the stationary plate or transducer with axial direction. At resonant gaps, there was almost zero radial acoustic streaming velocity at the ultrasonic transducer center and there existed only axial streaming velocity. For axial directions, maximum acoustic streaming velocity was located at z position of −16 mm.

The secondary ionization coefficient γ of a CaO film electrode is investigated taking into account the difference in breakdown voltage obtained by repeated voltage applications. Such measurement is performed under a sinusoidal voltage of 0.5 Hz. If the CaO film electrode acts as the cathode, breakdown voltage gradually decreases and converges to an almost constant value after several breakdowns. From the obtained results, the γ of the CaO film electrode is determined for each breakdown using Townsend’s criterion. The γ in the first breakdown is lower than those in subsequent breakdowns, particularly in the steady state. The difference in γ is considered to originate from accumulated charges on the CaO film electrode.

A time and spatially resolved technique was used for the investigation of emission signal enhancement in collinear double-pulse LIBS. Two Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers at 1064 nm wavelength have been employed to produce laser-induced plasmas on aluminum-based alloys by single- (SP) and doublepulse (DP) LIBS. Time and spatial evolution of the plasma temperature and electron number density was investigated in these two experimental schemes. The enhancement of the emission line intensities was investigated, and a relation between the increases in intensity and excitation energy level was established. The results shows that the production of the second plasma by second laser pulse was important in DP experiment in collinear geometry.

This paper aims to analyze the behavior of DC bipolar corona discharge in a two wires-to-plane configuration under variable humid air conditions. A circular biased probe was adapted to the plane and used to measure the ground-plane current density and electric field during the bipolar corona. The values of the electric field and the current density at the plane surface were the maximum beneath the two corona wires which decreased when moving away from them. The current-voltage characteristics followed the quadratic Townsend’s law. The experimental results show that the bipolar corona discharge is strongly affected by the air humidity. The current density and the electric field decrease linearly with the humidity for all the tested wire diameters.