Overstressed Nanosecond Discharge in the Gases at Atmospheric Pressure and Its Application for the Synthesis of Nanostructures Based on Transition Metals

Abstract

The review article presents the characteristics and parameters of an overstressed nanosecond discharge (OND) in air and argon at atmospheric pressure between electrodes made of zinc, copper, and aluminium. The technique, methods and experimental conditions for studying the characteristics and parameters of the OND and its application for the synthesis of thin nanostructured films of transition-metal oxides synthesized under intense ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the substrate with film are presented. The microexplosions of inhomogeneities on the surface of electrodes in a strong electric field act as a source of metal vapour in plasma. The spatial, electrical, and optical characteristics of the OND in air and argon between transition-metal electrodes, which was ignited in the needle-to-needle electrode system, are reported. The results of experimental measurements of the parameters of the discharge plasma based on the Cu–air gas–vapour mixtures are presented. The optical characteristics of thin nanostructured transition-metal oxide films synthesized under conditions of automatic UV irradiation of the substrate by the discharge plasma are considered.

Keywords

• overstressed nanosecond discharge
• zinc
• copper
• and aluminium electrodes
• thin nanostructured films