Singlet oxygen production in a microcathode sustained discharge
Résumé
The authors report experimental results showing that high yields of singlet oxygen O2(a 1Δg) can be generated in a three-electrode microcathode sustained discharge (MCSD) configuration. This configuration consists of a microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) acting as a plasma cathode to sustain a stable glow discharge between the MHCD and a third, planar electrode placed at a distance of 8 mm. Experiments were performed in pure oxygen and in mixtures of oxygen with rare gases (He or Ar) at pressures up to 130 Torr. O2(a 1Δg) relative yields of 7.6% were measured 23 cm downstream in the afterglow of the MCSD discharge.