Effect of Electrode Material to Current-Voltage Characteristics of a Gerdien Condenser

Abstract

Effects due to kind of materials used for the collector electrode of a Gerdien condenser upon the currentvoltage (I-V) characteristics were investigated. Aluminum, copper and nickel electrodes were initially polished and cleaned and the I-V characteristics were recorded with 15-minutes interval under exposure to ambient air. Results showed that the zero-crossing voltage in the I-V curve shifted toward negative electrical potential, while the saturation current decreased in accordance with the passage of time. The electrode surfaces showed clear change in the color after operation. Ion mobilities and ion species concentrations were determined from the measured I-V characteristics and they indicate sizable difference by the electrode aging effect. The aluminum electrode showed stable positive and negative saturation currents within 180 minutes, while the saturation current decreased down to 50% of the initial value.

Development and Characterization of Ion Mobility Spectrometer

“…Ignition characteristics of the plasma were investigated by variations of the coil sizes, coil position, and changes in the ignition wire location. The stability of the ion source was evaluated through I-V characteristics, temporal ion saturation variations, and noise level in the current output signal measured using a Gerdien condenser [8]. The Gerdien condenser, also author's e-mail: euq3302@mail4.doshisha.ac.jp * ) This article is based on the presentation at the 27th International Toki Conference (ITC27) & the 13th Asia Pacific Plasma Theory Conference (APPTC2018).…”