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Interaction of N and O atoms with hardwood and softwood surfaces in the flowing afterglow of N 2 ‐O 2 microwave plasmas
Author(s) -
Prégent Julien,
RobertBigras Germain,
Stafford Luc
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201800035
Subject(s) - softwood , hardwood , etching (microfabrication) , analytical chemistry (journal) , afterglow , maple , chemistry , plasma , plasma etching , oxygen , atomic physics , materials science , layer (electronics) , composite material , physics , ecology , gamma ray burst , astronomy , quantum mechanics , biology , botany , organic chemistry , chromatography
The interaction between hardwood (Sugar Maple) and softwood (Black Spruce) surfaces and N and O atom species produced in the flowing late afterglow of a surface‐wave microwave plasma column in N 2 ‐O 2 gas mixtures was investigated using a NO titration method combined with optical emission spectroscopy. Results showed two distinct atom loss regimes following their interaction with wood surfaces: a recombination regime at low oxygen concentrations (<1% O 2 ) and an etching regime by O atoms at higher oxygen concentrations (>1% O 2 ). The etching reaction was confirmed by surface profilometry measurements, with the formation of sub‐millimetre trenches between low‐density early wood and high‐density late wood regions. Recombination dynamics of O and N atoms over smooth and roughened wood regions are also compared.