O atoms loss coefficient on porous SiO2 and TiO2 measured by plasma induced fluorescence

The time evolution of O atoms density in the gas phase during the post-discharge of a pulsed plasma is studied using a plasma induced fluorescence technique (PIF): a main long pulse creates the plasma and a shorter one re-excites atoms in the time post-discharge was used. The gas pressure is 133 Pa in N2/O2 mixture and the plasma is a pulsed DC discharge. The surface loss coefficient of O atoms on pyrex, porous silica, porous TiO2 is measured, this latter being a photocatalytic material. It is shown that the presence of porous silica or TiO2 leads to a stong increase of the O atom surface loss coefficient. When nano cluster of TiO2 are deposited on porous silica, the loss coefficient is first high and comparable to the case of the porous silica, but decreases after few milliseconds. Such a decrease of the surface loss coefficient has recently been reported in a pulsed microwave discharge [1]. The effect of the pre-irradiation of the porous materials by external ultraviolet is also studied. \newline \newline [1] G. Cartry, X. Duten and A. Rousseau Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 15 (2006) 479--488