This study presents a numerical model of the hybrid–stabilized argon–steam thermal DC plasma torch of a new design for generating an argon–steam plasma suitable for efficient abatement of persistent perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). The model includes the discharge region and the plasma jet flowing to the surrounding steam atmosphere contained in a plasma-chemical chamber. Compared to previous studies, the torch had a smaller nozzle diameter (5.3 mm) and a reduced input power (20-40 kW) and arc current (120-220 A). The outlet region for the plasma jet extends to 20 cm downstream of the exit nozzle. Fluid dynamic and thermal characteristics together with diffusion of argon, hydrogen and oxygen species, and distribution of plasma species in the discharge and the plasma jet are obtained for currents from 120 to 220 A. The results of the calculations show that the plasma jet exhibits high spatiotemporal fluctuations in the shear layer between the plasma jet and colder steam atmosphere. The most abundant species in the plasma jet are hydrogen and oxygen atoms near the jet center, and molecules of H2, O2 and OH in colder surrounding regions. Satisfactory agreement is obtained with measurements of the radial temperature and electron number density profiles near the jet center close to the nozzle exit.

The continuous flow assembly of colloidal nanoparticles from aqueous suspensions into macroscopic materials in a field-assisted double flow focusing system offers an attractive way to bridge the outstanding nanoscale characteristics of renewable cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) at scales most common to human technologies. By incorporating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) during the fabrication process, high-performance functional filament nanocomposites were produced. CNFs and SWNTs were first dispersed in water without any external surfactants or binding agents, and the resulting nanocolloids were aligned by means of an alternating electric field combined with extensional sheath flows. The nanoscale orientational anisotropy was then locked by a liquid–gel transition during the materials assembly into macroscopic filaments, which greatly improved their mechanical, electrical, and liquid sensing properties. Significantly, these findings pave the way toward the environmentally friendly and scalable manufacturing of a variety of multifunctional fibers for diverse applications.

Previous work has shown that dielectrophoretic body forces resulting from permittivity and conductivity heterogeneities only partially contribute to the overall electromechanical deformation of segmented polyurethanes (PUs). In this work, we studied the experimental kinetics and electric current of PU thin films over a long time period (1–105 s) for different applied electric fields. Then, we thoroughly analyzed the drift behavior of electric carriers and its macroscopic effect using simple modeling and numerical simulation. The main assumption is that the macroscopic deformation results from the accumulation of electric charges near the electrodes, leading to local stretching. Assuming that the mobilities of negative and positive carriers are different, their migration towards the electrodes will have different kinetics. A good agreement between simulation and experimental data was obtained for bending amplitude and current evolution. Furthermore, the resulting compression is consistent with the observed electrostriction.