The aim of this master thesis is the preparation and characterization of plasma activated water (PAW) prepared by dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure in air for the future applications in agriculture and medicine. The theoretical part is focused on plasma activated water and its effects on seeds and plants. The work also deals with the preparation and application of PAW in the world. Various types of plasma discharge configurations suitable for its preparation are described here. In the experimental part of the master thesis, distilled and tap water were chosen for activation. The concentrations of active particles in PAW generated by DBD such as nitrites, nitrates and hydrogen peroxide were determined. The value of the concentration of active particles changes probably due to mutual interactions when nitrites are oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to nitrates. Physical properties of PAW such as conductivity and pH were also characterized. After the preparation of PAW, the conductivity increases due to the increase in the concentration of active particles formed by dissociation and ionization of water molecules by plasma. The particles presented in the air, which are dissociated and ionized by plasma, also diffuse into the liquid, and contribute to this increase. The decrease in pH also corresponds to an increase in the concentration of hydrogen ions and the formation of nitric acids. Another aspect of this work was to study plasma activated water during the first eight hours after its preparation and to determine its properties. We have found that PAW prepared from tap water retains its characteristic properties for at least 8 hours and distilled water for 6 hours. In the master thesis, the analysis of plasma discharge was performed using optical emission spectroscopy. OES measurements were performed in the wavelength range 300 to 800 nm. The second positive nitrogen system (N2 (C 3u) N2 (B 3g)) and the first positive nitrogen system (N2 (B 3g) N2 (A 3+u)) were identified in the overview spectrum. Molecular nitrogen ions, OH· radicals, atomic oxygen and atomic hydrogen can be observed in the spectrum, too. The dielectric barrier discharge was also captured using a high-speed camera, and the recording shows the occurrence of multiple discharges that are spatially as well as temporary unstable.

The diploma thesis deals with the deposition of layers of 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline monomer in a dielectric barrier discharge in a nitrogen atmosphere. The theoretical part describes polyoxazolines, dielectric barrier discharge, plasma polymerization and diagnostic methods that describe the characteristics of the prepared layers. The experimental part deals with the deposition of layers and the determination of physicochemical properties. Finally, the results are compared with layers that were made of 2-methyl-2-oxazoline.

Presented master’s thesis is focused on the study of the elementary inactivation processes acting during sterilization of procaryotic systems in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). Sterilization is an important biomedical and food-industry application and plasma sterilization is one of the methods, which are suitable for sterilization of heat and chemical sensitive materials. Biologically contaminated samples were treated in dielectric barrier discharge operated at atmospheric pressure. The discharge was generated in argon and in nitrogen. The plasma power density was 2725,93 mW cm–3 in argon and 2325,93 mW cm–3 in nitrogen. Gram positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli were used as a bioindicator. Bacteria were spread onto the surface of Whatman No.1 filtration paper. The influence of UV radiation, reactive species, heat and plasma discharge where the synergistic function of all of the agents was studied. Effects of UV radiation and temperature were studied separately. In order to separate the effect of UV radiation generated by DBD the quartz glass transmitting UV radiation was employed. During the plasma exposition selected samples were covered with the quartz window while other samples were directly exposed to the plasma. Covered samples were exposed to UV radiation and temperature (which cannot be eliminated), samples without quartz window were directly plasma exposed (treated). Results show that for covered samples the lower inactivation was reached than by the samples directly exposed to plasma. When studying the effect of temperature, the temperature between the DBD electrodes was measured by means of a thermocouple. Afterwards the samples were placed in an oven and exposed to the same temperature as was measured between the electrodes. By comparing the results of heat treated samples and plasma treated samples it can be assumed that the influence of the temperature during the sterilization process in DBD is very low. The discharge parameters were studied by means of the Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Plasma treated samples were assessed employing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Damage of Bacillus subtilis cell wall due to the effect of plasma was observed while no effect of plasma on the structure of filtration paper was detected.

The diploma thesis deals with study of system of polypropylene and inorganic filler. As filler was used commercially available particulate filler CaCO3 termed NPCC 201. The objective of the study was a surface plasma treatment of filler in order to obtain composite based on polypropylene. Mechanical properties of this composite will show significantly greater value than basic matrix. The filler was treated in dielectric barrier plasma discharge by atmospheric pressure. The characterization of filler was performed before and after plasma treatment by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron microscope (SEM) and sedimentation analysis. The distribution of particle size was measured by laser diffraction and by dynamic light scattering. The composite materials with various weight concentration of filler were prepared in POLYMER INSTITUTE BRNO by using the twin-screw extruder and the test specimens were prepared by the injection molding technology. Their mechanical properties was studied by using of short and long-term tests. The uniaxial creep testing in tension was used for study of long-term behavior of composites.

The overall goal of the presented dissertation thesis was to study the sterilization efficiency of dielectric barrier discharge operated at atmospheric pressure. The fungi Aspergillus niger, gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis and in some experiments also gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli were used as a bio-indicator enabling to evaluate the effect of plasma assisted microbial inactivation. The samples of microorganism were placed on paper Whatman 1 or PET foil and exposed to plasma. The plasma was generated in argon, nitrogen, synthetic dry/humid air with frequency up to 10 kHz and plasma power density in the range of 1,2-2,9 W/cm3 (according to the process gas). The influence of process gas, plasma power density, plasma exposition time, type of microorganism and material of the substrate on the sterilization effect of dielectric barrier discharge was evaluated. Furthermore the contribution of each single mechanism (UV radiation, temperature and reactive species) to the sterilization effect of plasma and influence of gas humidity was evaluated. The DBD was analysed by means of optical emission spectroscopy, thermocouple was used to measure temperature during a sterilization process. In order to verify the mechanical damage of the microbial cell or the substrates during the plasma process the samples were studied by scanning electron microscopy. Generally, on the basis of experimental results, at increasing treatment times, the remaining number of spores (CFU) decreased. Similarly at increasing the plasma power input, the sterilization rate increased. When sterilising the spores of A. niger in plasma using different process gasses, the efficiency of plasma sterilization decreased as follows: argon, humid synthetic air, nitrogen and dry synthetic air. The results observed in argon plasma using different microorganism demonstrated that the sensitivity of vegetative cells resp. spores to DBD decreased as follows: A. niger spores, B. subtilis vegetative cells, E. coli vegetative cells and B. subtilis spores. Simultaneously results observed for sterilization of spores and vegetative cells of B. subtilis and A. niger demonstrated that the spores are generally more resistant to plasma than are the corresponding vegetative cells. Combining the results of contribution of each single mechanism, optical emission spectroscopy and inactivation characteristic it was found out that the reactive species significantly contribute to the plasma sterilization in all process gasses. Furthermore the inactivation process can be partly assisted by UV radiation and also the temperature can contribute in limited extent to inactivation process in some gasses. The contribution of UV radiation to the plasma sterilization decreased as follows: nitrogen, argon, dry syntetic air and humid syntetic air. Moreover it was found out that the contribution of each single mechanism can be species dependent, this is due to the different response of microorganism to the unfavorable external conditions. SEM analysis of the substrates prooved the etching actions of the plasma generated in all process gasses on the surface of the PET foil. The several minute plasma exposition of the PET foil resulted in the occurence of the „hole corrosion“ on the PET surface. Contrary to these there were no visible changes observed in the paper structure.

La mesure de distribution de taille d’un aérosol (particules solides ou liquides en suspension dans un gaz) par analyse de mobilité électrique nécessite de neutraliser l’aérosol. La neutralisation consiste à conférer une distribution de charge centrée sur zéro obtenue par la diffusion sur l’aérosol d’ions bipolaires. Nous avons démontré la faisabilité d’un chargeur bipolaire post-Décharge à Barrières Diélectriques (DBD) pour remplacer les neutraliseurs radioactifs, généralement utilisées pour la production d’ions bipolaires et soumis à des contraintes législatives. La caractérisation électrique des DBD en géométrie « fil-fil » selon la distance inter-électrodes, la tension et le débit a permis demettre en évidence trois types d’auto-organisations des filaments selon la tension et d’évaluer lecourant de décharge, c’est-à-dire la production par la décharge d’espèces chargées par unité detemps. Dans la géométrie et les conditions de fonctionnement choisies, des méthodes de mesure des flux d’ions en post-décharge ont alors été développées. Nous avons ainsi confirmé que la fraction d‘ions extraits de l’espace inter-électrodes résulte d’une compétition électro-hydrodynamique qui dépend de l’auto-organisation des filaments. En effet, les densités d’ions positifs et négatifs en post-DBD, ainsi que le rapport entre ces densités, critiques pour la charge d’aérosols, sont contrôlés par les champs électriques et le temps de transit des ions en post-décharge. Dans le chargeur post-DBD, les densités d’ions sont décroissantes. Toutefois, cette décroissance n’affecte pas les distributions de charges des aérosols qui sont constantes pour chaque taille quelle que soit la concentration d’aérosol. Dans ces conditions, les granulométries mesurées en post-neutraliseurs radioactif et DBD sont comparées afin de prouver que le neutraliseur post-DBD est viable pour la granulométrie des aérosols submicroniques. / The measurement of the size distribution of an aerosol (solid or liquid particles in suspension in agas) by electrical mobility analyses requires the neutralization of the aerosol. Neutralization consistsin imparting a charge distribution with a mean charge of 0 by the diffusion of bipolar ions on aerosol.We prove the feasibility of a post- Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) bipolar charger as an alternativeto radioactive neutralizer subjected to legislative constraints. The electrical characterization of awire-to-wire DBD versus the gap, the voltage and the flow-rate highlights 3 kinds of selforganizationsof filaments versus voltage. Moreover, discharge current which represents the chargedspecies production per unit of time is evaluated. In the chosen geometry and operating conditions, apost-discharge ions flux measurement method was developed. We confirm that anelectro-hydrodynamic competition controls the extraction of ions from the gap. In fact, electric fieldsand transit time control positive and negative ions densities and the ratio between them which arecritical for aerosol charging. For the post-DBD charger, ions densities decrease in the charging zone.However, this decrease does not affect the aerosol charge distribution for each particle size withconcentration. In these conditions, the post-radioactive neutralizer and post-DBD neutralizer aerosolsize measurements are compared in order to prove that the post-DBD neutralizer is available forsubmicronic aerosols sizing.

Des composés organiques volatils (COV) présents dans l'air peuvent avoir un fort impact odorant et doivent être traités. Des techniques de traitement classiques permettent de récupérer ou détruire ces composés. Cependant, ces techniques ne sont pas adaptées aux forts débits d'air et/ou aux faibles concentrations, caractéristiques de certains procédés industriels émetteurs de COV. Une alternative prometteuse est l'utilisation de plasmas non-thermiques. Ce type de plasma, obtenu par des décharges électriques hors-équilibre thermodynamique, contient des espèces réactives qui provoquent la destruction des composés organiques volatils. Cette thèse vise à concevoir, construire et tester un réacteur basé sur des plasmas non-thermiques pour le traitement de COV à l'échelle pilote, afin de démontrer la faisabilité d'un tel procédé pour le traitement d'odeurs présentes dans un effluent industriel. Les résultats obtenus montrent que, couplé à un catalyseur, le traitement d'odeurs par plasma non-thermique a un vrai potentiel d'application à l'échelle industrielle. En parallèle, cette thèse cherche à mieux comprendre le rôle des transferts de masse au sein d'un réacteur à l'aide d'un modèle analytique et de simulations numériques. Nous montrons que ces transferts peuvent devenir le processus limitant dans le traitement, et demandent donc une attention particulière lors du design d'un réacteur basé sur des plasmas non-thermiques. / Volatile organic compounds (VOC) present in the atmosphere may have a strong odour impact and, being so, must be treated. Some long-established treatment techniques may be able to recover or destruct these compounds. However, these techniques are not suitable for high flow rates and/or low concentrations, typical conditions found in certain VOC-emitting industrial processes. A promising alternative is the use of non-thermal plasmas. This kind of plasma, obtained through non-equilibrium electric discharges, produce reactive species that prompt the destruction of volatile organic compounds. This thesis aims to conceive, build and test a reactor based on non-thermal plasmas for the abatement of volatile organic compounds at pilot scale, in order to demonstrate the feasability of using such a process to treat odourous compounds present in an industrial effluent. The obtained results show that, combined with a catalyst, the use of non-thermal plasmas for odour control in industrial scale has a real potential. In parallel, this thesis seeks a better understanding of the role played by mass transfer in a non-thermal plasma reactor through the use of an analytical model and numerical simulations. We show that mass transfer may become the limiting process of the treatment, and therefore requires special care throughout the design of a non-thermal plasma reactor.

This work studies discharge plasma in a mixture of gases, similar to that used in the so-called CO2-lasers. This mixture consists of CO2, N2 and He. The effect of the mixture composition and discharge parameters (especially pressure, in the range of 266 Pa - 100 kPa) on the distribution of energy in the vibrational levels of nitrogen was examined. This is important parameter for modelling of the discharge plasma. The effect of the mixture composition on the degree of dissociation of the CO2 molecules was also studied. The relative concentration of CO was applied to find the conditions leading to a minimal dissociation of the carbon dioxide. Measurements of radial profiles were also made. Results from two discharge tubes made from different materials were compared. Two types of discharge were utilized to acquire a wide pressure range - low pressure DC glow discharge in the range of 266 Pa to 1330 Pa and dielectric barrier discharge in the range of 5 kPa to 100 kPa. Both discharges are used in commercial CO2-lasers. We observed a descending dependence of the vibrational temperature on the pressure and a big step caused by increased occurrence of standing ionizing waves in the mixtures with low nitrogen ratio. Vibrational temperature in the DBD was markedly lower than in the DC GD, because of the...

The aim of this thesis was to optimize atomization conditions for selenium hydride in a novel plasma atomizer based on dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) using atomic absorption spectrometry as a detector. Analytical characteristics have been subsequently determined and compared to those reached in a conventional externally heated quartz tube atomizer which was replaced by a sofisticated design of a multiatomizer (MMQTA) in this work. The limit of detection reached in DBD (0,24 ng ml−1 Se) is slightly worse to that observed in MMQTA (0,15 ng ml−1 Se). On the contrary, slightly better resistance towards interferences of Sb, Bi and As was observed in DBD atomizer in comparison with MMQTA. Possibility of selenium preconcentration in a DBD atomizer was studied reaching an overall preconcentration efficiency of 75 ± 5%. The detection limit in a preconcentration mode employing preconcentration period of 300 s has reached 0,012 ng ml−1 Se. Key words: hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry, dielectric barrier discharge, hydride atomization, hydride trapping, selenium

The aim of this diploma thesis was to optimize in detail atomization conditions for antimony hydride in a novel plasma atomizer based on a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with atomic absorption spetrometric detection. Argon was found as the best DBD discharge gas employing a flow rate of 50 ml min-1 Ar while the DBD power was optimized at 30 W. Analytical figures of merit including interference study of As, Se and Bi have been subsequently investigated and the results compared to those found in an externally heated quartz tube atomizer (QTA). The limit of detection reached in DBD (0.15 ng ml-1 Sb) is comparable to that observed in QTA (0.14 ng ml-1 Sb). Finally, possibility of stibane preconcentration in a DBD atomizer was studied. Preconcentration efficiency of 102 ± 6 % was found under optimized conditions.