A stable atmospheric-pressure plasma for extreme-temperature synthesis
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
Author(s)
Detail(s)
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 964-971 |
Journal / Publication | Nature |
Volume | 623 |
Issue number | 7989 |
Online published | 29 Nov 2023 |
Publication status | Published - 30 Nov 2023 |
Externally published | Yes |
Link(s)
Abstract
Plasmas can generate ultra-high-temperature reactive environments that can be used for the synthesis and processing of a wide range of materials 1,2. However, the limited volume, instability and non-uniformity of plasmas have made it challenging to scalably manufacture bulk, high-temperature materials 3–8. Here we present a plasma set-up consisting of a pair of carbon-fibre-tip-enhanced electrodes that enable the generation of a uniform, ultra-high temperature and stable plasma (up to 8,000 K) at atmospheric pressure using a combination of vertically oriented long and short carbon fibres. The long carbon fibres initiate the plasma by micro-spark discharge at a low breakdown voltage, whereas the short carbon fibres coalesce the discharge into a volumetric and stable ultra-high-temperature plasma. As a proof of concept, we used this process to synthesize various extreme materials in seconds, including ultra-high-temperature ceramics (for example, hafnium carbonitride) and refractory metal alloys. Moreover, the carbon-fibre electrodes are highly flexible and can be shaped for various syntheses. This simple and practical plasma technology may help overcome the challenges in high-temperature synthesis and enable large-scale electrified plasma manufacturing powered by renewable electricity. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
Research Area(s)
Citation Format(s)
A stable atmospheric-pressure plasma for extreme-temperature synthesis. / Xie, Hua; Liu, Ning; Zhang, Qian et al.
In: Nature, Vol. 623, No. 7989, 30.11.2023, p. 964-971.
In: Nature, Vol. 623, No. 7989, 30.11.2023, p. 964-971.
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review