Solution plasma: A new reaction field for nanomaterials synthesis

Solution plasma is a new electrical discharge process where an atmospheric non-equilibrium plasma is generated, usually at room temperature, in a liquid environment, such as an aqueous solution or an organic compound. There are a large variety of combinations used in experiments among solutions, electrode materials, plasma configurations, volumes, and reactor geometries, as well as the characteristics of the power supply. The solution plasma process (SPP) combines gas discharge physics, fluid thermodynamic properties, and fluid interfaces reactions. In SPP, nanoparticles with various sizes, shapes, crystallinities, and compositions could be obtained. The synthesis of carbon and hetero-carbon nanomaterials proves that SPP is an efficient and rapid method for their production. The polymerization of benzene in SPP can form graphene. By simply changing the organic precursor, carbon-doped nanostructures can be synthesized with a controlled composition. This review demonstrates that SPP is a new reaction field for nanomaterial production.