Non‐OH‐driven liquid‐phase chemistry in water microdroplets

Abstract

Water microdroplets containing organic and fluorinated compounds, such as formate, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and triflic acid, were exposed to a radiofrequency glow discharge plasma with a droplet residence time on the order of milliseconds. Triflic acid remained unaffected by any plasma condition while >75% decomposition of formate and PFOA could be achieved. In situ hydroxyl (OH)‐laser‐induced fluorescence measurements near the droplets confirmed that the conversion was independent of the OH flux to the droplet. A series of control experiments suggest that the contribution of vacuum UV photons in such decomposition of aqueous compounds can be significant for He and He + 17% Ar plasmas and can also explain unexpected decomposition trends as a function of droplet residence time in the plasma.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Feb 13, 2023
Source ID
10.1002/ppap.202200222

Entities

People

  • Diana Aranzales
  • Gaurav Nayak
  • Jianan Wang
  • Peter J Bruggeman
  • Rui Li
  • Selma Mededovic Thagard

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • Clarkson University
  • United States Department of Energy
  • University of Minnesota

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Technology.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy