The HelixJet, a plasma source operating under atmospheric pressure with RF power, was used for the synthesis of silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) in the context of relevance in nanomedicine, sensor technology, and nanotechnology. The HelixJet was operated with a variety of He/Ar/H 2 /SiH 4 gas mixtures to characterize the Si-NPs in regard to their size, crystallinity, structure, and photoluminescence. Distinct varieties of nanomaterials in the size range from 3 nm to over 100 nm were synthesized depending on the operation parameters of the HelixJet. Admixture of H 2 alongside high RF powers led to the formation of crystalline nanoparticles with a strong photoluminescence intensity, where the photoluminescence properties as well as the nanocrystal synthesis yield were tunable by adjustment of the synthesis parameters. Post-synthesis in-flight annealing allowed the formation of large crystalline nanoparticles. In addition, the experiments conducted in this study resulted in a design improvement of the HelixJet plasma source that extends the stability of the operating range. Furthermore, the added spatial separation of the He/H 2 and He/ Ar/SiH 4 streams (SiH 4 injection on-axis) minimizes material deposition within the He-lixJet and enables continuous long-term operation.

Plasma activated water (PAW) is a unique highly reactive medium, traditionally used in medicine and agriculture because of its decontamination and disinfection abilities. Recently, we have shown that this medium can also be beneficial for tailoring the surface chemistry of semiconductor nanostructures if its composition is tuned to contain a high concentration of nitrogen-related species (HiN:PAW). However, pathways leading to the production of HiN:PAW remained unclear, which we address in this article. By monitoring the composition of the produced PAW and the concentration of selected species in the discharge under different activation geometries and discharge conditions, we identify the activation geometries favourable for the production of HiN:PAW using two phenomenological factors, a barrier parameter P and a maximum effective radius of the vessel rmax. A key point is the presence of a barrier area in the discharge reactor, which forms as a result of the favourable activation geometry and a discharge with prevailing more reactive atomic species. This area acts as a partial barrier between the discharge and the surrounding air atmosphere, limiting, but still allowing a flow of source N2 molecules from the surrounding atmosphere. The minimal and ideal build-up times of 10 and 30 minutes, respectively, for the discharge to stabilize are also reported. Using the reported experimental settings, we were able to produce HiN:PAW containing a mixture of various reactive species beneficial for the surface modification of nanoparticles, with the NO3- to H2O2¬ ratio of at least 20×103: 1, in contrast to approximately 1:1 under more traditional conditions.