Heating and Coagulation of
Nanoparticles in a Plasma Jet
O. Yu. Kravchenko and I. S. Maruschak
1 Introduction
Plasma-assisted technologies represent important tools for deposition of nanostructured films on substrates. The growth of thin and ultra-thin films may be achieved
using a large variety of techniques such as chemical vapour deposition, RF sputtering, pulsed laser deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition [1–3].
Recently, a new process, which uses a plasma torch operating at low pressure has
been developed with the aim of depositing uniform thin layers on large surfaces [4,
5]. In this plasma spraying process plasma jets are used as a heat sources to melt
and accelerate the injected nanoparticles which subsequently impinge and solidify
on a substrate. Modelling the nanoparticles, which create and assemble the film it is
possible to enhance the physical properties of thin films. As is known, nanoparticles
have the ability to coagulate, resulting in a change in their size. This process can be
significant in plasma and it must be taken into account when transporting nanoparticles to a substrate in a plasma jet. It is important to be able to control the size of the
nanoparticles, their kinetic energy, the temperature and the magnitude of the flow
on the substrate. In order to control efficiently the technological parameters of the
plasma’s action, it is necessary to calculate the plasma flow characteristics by means
of the proper mathematical model.
For the simulation of the supersonic flow of an ordinary temperature gas with dust
particles, there have already been many papers in the literatures [6–8]. However, for
the supersonic low pressure plasma flow, only relatively limited modeling results can
be found. At plasma pressures P = 1 − 100 Torr, the temperature of the electron
component is substantially higher than the temperature of ions and atoms, and the
plasma is thermodynamically nonequilibrium. To model processes in such a plasma,
a multi-component and multi-temperature hydrodynamic model should be used. The
aim of this work is to simulate the dynamics, heating and coagulation of nanoparticles
in a low pressure plasma jet expanding through a round hole into a dilute gas.
O. Yu. Kravchenko (B) · I. S. Maruschak
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 64/13, Volodymyrska Street, Kyiv
01601, Ukraine
e-mail: kay@univ.kiev.ua
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
O. Fesenko and L. Yatsenko (eds.), Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites,
Nanostructure Surfaces, and Their Applications, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 246, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51905-6_3
23
Nanoparticles in a Plasma Jet
O. Yu. Kravchenko and I. S. Maruschak
1 Introduction
Plasma-assisted technologies represent important tools for deposition of nanostructured films on substrates. The growth of thin and ultra-thin films may be achieved
using a large variety of techniques such as chemical vapour deposition, RF sputtering, pulsed laser deposition or plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition [1–3].
Recently, a new process, which uses a plasma torch operating at low pressure has
been developed with the aim of depositing uniform thin layers on large surfaces [4,
5]. In this plasma spraying process plasma jets are used as a heat sources to melt
and accelerate the injected nanoparticles which subsequently impinge and solidify
on a substrate. Modelling the nanoparticles, which create and assemble the film it is
possible to enhance the physical properties of thin films. As is known, nanoparticles
have the ability to coagulate, resulting in a change in their size. This process can be
significant in plasma and it must be taken into account when transporting nanoparticles to a substrate in a plasma jet. It is important to be able to control the size of the
nanoparticles, their kinetic energy, the temperature and the magnitude of the flow
on the substrate. In order to control efficiently the technological parameters of the
plasma’s action, it is necessary to calculate the plasma flow characteristics by means
of the proper mathematical model.
For the simulation of the supersonic flow of an ordinary temperature gas with dust
particles, there have already been many papers in the literatures [6–8]. However, for
the supersonic low pressure plasma flow, only relatively limited modeling results can
be found. At plasma pressures P = 1 − 100 Torr, the temperature of the electron
component is substantially higher than the temperature of ions and atoms, and the
plasma is thermodynamically nonequilibrium. To model processes in such a plasma,
a multi-component and multi-temperature hydrodynamic model should be used. The
aim of this work is to simulate the dynamics, heating and coagulation of nanoparticles
in a low pressure plasma jet expanding through a round hole into a dilute gas.
O. Yu. Kravchenko (B) · I. S. Maruschak
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 64/13, Volodymyrska Street, Kyiv
01601, Ukraine
e-mail: kay@univ.kiev.ua
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
O. Fesenko and L. Yatsenko (eds.), Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites,
Nanostructure Surfaces, and Their Applications, Springer Proceedings
in Physics 246, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51905-6_3
23