Discharge corona

This is a highly effective treatment for polyolefins that creates adhesion-enhancing carbonyl groups on the surface and raises the surface energy of the polymer [3]. 

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The positive column is a region in which atoms, electrons, and ions are all present together in similar numbers, and it is referred to as a plasma. Again, as with the corona discharge, in mass spectrometry, plasmas are usually operated in gases at or near atmospheric pressure. 

Chemical ionization and atmospheric-pressure ionization are covered in Chapters 1 and 9, respectively.) The corona discharge is relatively gentle in that, at atmospheric pressure, it leads to more sample molecules being ionized without causing much fragmentation. 

By rapidly vaporizing a solution by heat, a spray is produced from which the solvent can be removed, leaving sample ions that pass straight into the analyzer region of a mass spectrometer. Plasmaspray is very similar, but ion yield is vastly improved through use of a corona discharge. 

Thus, either the emitted light or the ions formed can be used to examine samples. For example, the mass spectrometric ionization technique of atmospheric-pressure chemical ionization (APCI) utilizes a corona discharge to enhance the number of ions formed. Carbon arc discharges have been used to generate ions of otherwise analytically intractable inorganic substances, with the ions being examined by mass spectrometry. 

To increase the number of ions, a plasma or corona discharge is produced in the mist issuing from the capillary. The electrical discharge induces more ionization in the neutrals accompanying the few thermospray ions. This enhancement increases the ionization of sample molecules and makes the technique much more sensitive to distinguish it from simple thermospray, it is called plasmaspray. 

In extmsion coating a polymer is extmded from a slot die into the nip of two roUs where it is bonded to a substrate under pressure (Fig. 6). A corona discharge may be appUed to the substrate just prior to the nip to enhance adhesion. Polyethylene or ionomer are the most common resins used in extmsion coatings. They provide improved moisture barrier (on paper), or sealabUity (on foU, polypropylene, or polyester). When a second substrate is introduced to the nip, laminated stmctures may be produced. 

Articles fabricated from FEP resins can be made bondable by surface treatment with a solution of sodium in Hquid ammonia, or naphthalenyl sodium in tetrahydrofuran (64) to faciUtate subsequent wetting. Exposing the surface to corona discharge (65) or amines at elevated temperatures in an oxidizing atmosphere (66) also makes the resins bondable. Some of the more recent work is described in References 67—69. 

Another big advance in the appHcation of ms in biotechnology was the development of atmospheric pressure ionization (API) techniques. There are three variants of API sources, a heated nebulizer plus a corona discharge for ionization (APCl) (51), electrospray (ESI) (52), and ion spray (53). In the APCl interface, the Ic eluent is converted into droplets by pneumatic nebulization, and then a sheath gas sweeps the droplets through a heated tube that vaporizes the solvent and analyte. The corona discharge ionizes solvent molecules, which protonate the analyte. Ions transfer into the mass spectrometer through a transfer line which is cryopumped, to keep a reasonable source pressure. 

Static eliminating devices that ionize the atmosphere around the device are available. Static eliminators are divided into two main groups silent (corona) discharge eliminators, such as inductive eliminators, or high voltage eliminators which initiate an impact ionization of the air by applying strong electrostatic fields, and radioactive eliminators that provide a multitude of ions from independent ion sources (9). 

Other Polymerization Methods. Although none has achieved commercial success, there are a number of experimental alternatives to clay-catalyzed or thermal oligomeriza tion of dimer acids. These iaclude the use of peroxides (69), hydrogen fluoride (70), a sulfonic acid ion-exchange resia (71), and corona discharge (72) (see Initiators). 

Potential gradient required for corona discharge to commence V/m ... 

Field Strength Whereas the applied potential or voltage is the quantity commonly known, it is the field strength that determines behavior in an electrostatic field. When the current flow is low (i.e., before the onset of spark or corona discharge), these are related by the following equations tor two common forms of electrodes ... 

Current Flow Corona discharge is accompanied by a relatively small flow of electric current, typically 0.1 to 0.5 mA/m" of collecting-electrode area (projected, rather than actual area). Sparking usually involves a considerably larger flow of current which cannot be tolerated except for occasional periods of a fraction of a second duration, and then only when smtable electrical controls are provided to hmit the current. However, when suitable controls are provided, precipitators have been operated continuously with a small amount of sparking... 

In the space outside the immediate vicinity of corona discharge, the field strength is sensibly constant, and an average value is given by... 

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