Synthesis of Copper Particles by Non‐thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet

Abstract

The present study reveals the synthesis of metallic particles at atmospheric pressure using a radiofrequency low‐temperature argon plasma jet. Copper bulk material of the powered electrode acted as solid precursor in the process and the metallic particles were obtained directly in gaseous environment. The particles were collected onto Si (100)‐oriented substrates downstream of the atmospheric plasma jet and were ex situ characterized via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. We obtained copper particles, reddish brown in color, either of nano‐ or micro‐metric sizes. Additionally, the plasma species and gas temperature were determined by OES. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that conversion of bulk metals into particles is possible at atmospheric pressure using a radiofrequency plasma jet and the development of several applications is recommended.

The influence of plasma operation parameters on synthesis process of copper particles at atmospheric pressure

“…The experimental setup used for producing Cu particles was previously detailed in other papers. [11,13,14] To summarize, a plasma is generated inside the plasma source, between a cylindrical copper powered electrode and a planar grounded stainless-steel nozzle. This space is called the discharge chamber.…”

“…However, the plasma ejected through the nozzle inside the processing chamber can be investigated through a quartz window. [11] In order to investigate the plasma inside the discharge chamber, and to facilitate the electrode's surface characterizations, a second set-up was used (see Figure 1b) having a similar configuration of the plasma source. The main difference is that the external jacket surrounding the discharge chamber is absent, thus plasma can be visualized through the quartz tube.…”

“…Copper particles are used in catalysis, printable electronics, biosensors, antibacterial coatings, etc and are produced using plasma based methods either by thermal decomposition of metal containing precursors or by vaporization/condensation processes starting from pure metals. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Among those, plasma methods that combine the lack of harmful gaseous precursors or solvents with inexpensive atmospheric pressure set-ups have the highest industrial potential. [6,8,11] Our atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) approach is based on a vaporization/condensation process and combines the advantages of production of high purity particles from bulk metals with the advantages of atmospheric pressure processing.…”

“…[6,8,11] Our atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) approach is based on a vaporization/condensation process and combines the advantages of production of high purity particles from bulk metals with the advantages of atmospheric pressure processing. [11] In a previous paper, we have shown that copper particles were obtained at well-defined conditions (power, flow rate) by an APPJ. XRD, EDX, and SEM investigations were used to demonstrate the result.…”

“…XRD, EDX, and SEM investigations were used to demonstrate the result. [11] A mechanism based on local electrode vaporization and melting was suggested. However, the onset of the particle growth and growth dependence upon experimental conditions, which may allow the control of synthesis, were not yet reported.…”