Schlieren Imaging to Evaluate Inert GAS Flow Through a Stainless Steel Screen Plasma Reactor Electrode Fabricated with a 3D Metal Printer

In some corona-based cold plasma reactors, a grounded electrode fulfills at least four essential functions: a) providing an equipotential surface at zero electrostatic potential; b) featuring sharp protrusions that facilitate the formation of return corona streamers towards the high voltage electrode; c) collecting charged chemical species to prevent their incidence on the downstream substrate; and d) appearing nearly transparent to activated neutral chemical species intended for the downstream substrate. In this work, we utilized a three-dimensional (3D) metal printer to fabricate an improved stainless steel electrode, designed to enhance the efficiency of the functions listed above. At GEC 2024, we will present laboratory experiments employing a Schlieren z-type flow visualization instrument to assess the efficacy of the new electrode design in the context of inert gas (helium and argon) flowing through the electrode.