Plasmas, and Arcs

In the laboratory, it has been found that similar effects can be produced if a voltage is applied between two electrodes immersed in a gas. The nature of the laboratory or instrumental discharge depends critically on the type of gas used, the gas pressure, and the magnitude of the applied voltage. The actual electrical and gas pressure conditions determine whether or not the discharge is called a corona, a plasma, or an arc. 

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Particularly in mass spectrometry, where discharges are used to enhance or produce ions from sample materials, mostly coronas, plasmas, and arcs are used. The gas pressure is normally atmospheric, and the electrodes are arranged to give nonuniform electric fields. Usually, coronas and plasmas are struck between electrodes that are not of similar shapes, complicating any description of the discharge because the resulting electric-field gradients are not uniform between the electrodes. 

This chapter should be read in conjunction with Chapter 6, Coronas, Plasmas, and Arcs. A plasma is defined as a gaseous phase containing neutral molecules, ions, and electrons. The numbers of ions and electrons are usually almost equal. In a plasma torch, the plasma is normally formed in a monatomic gas such as argon flowing between two concentric quartz tubes (Figure 14.1). 

Biomedical. Heart-valve parts are fabricated from pyrolytic carbon, which is compatible with living tissue. Such parts are produced by high temperature pyrolysis of gases such as methane. Other potential biomedical apphcations are dental implants and other prostheses where a seal between the implant and the living biological surface is essential. Plasma and arc-wire sprayed coatings are used on prosthetic devices, eg, hip implants, to achieve better bone/tissue attachments (see Prosthetic and BiOLffiDiCALdevices). 

In this section we consider three emission sources other than ihe plasma and arc and spark. sources we have just considered flame emission sources, glow-discharge sources, and Ihe laser niicroprohe. 

Strongly ionized plasmas are ones where a high percentage of the gaseous species is ionized. In microwave plasmas and arc plasmas, the ionization can almost be complete. One advantage of the microwave plasma is that, even though the ionization is high, the particle temperatures are low. 

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