Low-frequency (100 Hz), intermediate-current (50 to 200 mA) glow discharges were experimentally investigated in atmospheric pressure air between blunt copper electrodes. Voltage-current characteristics and images of the discharge for different inter-electrode distances are reported. A cathode-fall voltage close to 360 V and a current density at the cathode surface of about 11 A/cm 2 , both independent of the discharge current, were found. The visible emissive structure of the discharge resembles to that of a typical low-pressure glow, thus suggesting a glow-like electric field distribution in the discharge. A kinetic model for the discharge ionization processes is also presented with the aim of identifying the main physical processes ruling the discharge behavior. The numerical results indicate the presence of a non-equilibrium plasma with rather high gas temperature (above 4000 K) leading to the production of components such as NO, O, and N which are usually absent in low-current glows. Hence, the ionization by electron-impact is replaced by associative ionization, which is independent of the reduced electric field. This leads to a negative current-voltage characteristic curve, in spite of the glow-like features of the discharge. On the other hand, several estimations show that the discharge seems to be stabilized by heat conduction; being thermally stable due to its reduced size. All the quoted results indicate that although this discharge regime might be considered to be close to an arc, it is still a glow discharge as demonstrated by its overall properties, supported also by the presence of thermal non-equilibrium.

In recent years, one of the fastest growing technological applications in the field of nonthermal plasmas is the degradation of organic contaminants of water. In this work, the degradation of indigo carmine (IC) in water induced by a pulsed positive corona discharge operating in ambient air is reported. Degradation levels in different volumes of IC in solution with distilled water treated with different plasma exposure times immediately after discharge (0 h), and in the postdischarge up to 24 h were examined. To explain the IC discoloration in the postdischarge phase, a chemical model was developed. The stability of the reactive species in solution nitrate (NO3−), nitrite (NO2−) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), as well as the properties of the solution (electrical conductivity, pH) were also measured. The results suggest that the hydroxyl radical (OH˙) as well as ozone (O3) are the main oxidizing species during the discharge phase, being primarily formed in the gas phase through plasma-mediated reactions and then transferred to the liquid by diffusion, while the OH˙ production in the bulk liquid through the decomposition of peroxinitrous acid (O=NOOH) plays a major role in the IC degradation during the postdischarge. These results are associated with a noticeably increase in the energy-yield values observed at 24 h post-treatment.

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The present work provides a detailed kinetic analysis of the time-resolved dynamics of the gas heating during the arc reattachment in nitrogen gas in order to understand the main processes leading to such a fast reattachment. The model includes gas heating due to the relaxation of the energy stored in the vibrational as well as the electronic modes of the molecules. The results show that the anode arc reattachment is essentiality a threshold process, corresponding to a reduced electric field value of E/N * 40 Td for the plasma discharge conditions considered in this work. The arc reattachment is triggered by a vibrational instability whose development requires a time of the order of 100 ls. For E/N \ 80-100 Td, most of the electron energy is transferred to gas heating through the mechanism of vibrational-translational relaxation. For larger values of E/N the electronictranslational energy relaxation mechanism produces a further intensification of the gas heating. The sharp increase of the gas heating rate during the last few ls of the vibrational instability give rises to a sudden transition from a diffuse (glow-like) discharge to a constricted arc with a high current density (*10 7 A/m 2 ). This sudden increase in the current density gives rise to a new anode attachment closer to the cathode (where the voltage drop between the original arc and the anode is the largest) thus causing the decay of the old arc spot.