Plasma Generation Chip Groove Stabilizes Gas-Liquid Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plasma generators face challenges in maintaining high reproducibility of plasma light emission due to air bubble retention, which affects the stability of the gas-liquid interface and voltage application, leading to unstable plasma generation.
Innovation Solution
A chip for plasma generation with a channel design featuring a groove portion on the inner walls of the first and second regions, which helps maintain a constant gas-liquid interface and stabilizes the voltage, eliminating the need for a discharge unit to remove air bubbles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air bubbles are generated in the channel for plasma generation, then plasma can be formed at the gas-liquid interface, but the retention of air bubbles causes instability in the gas-liquid interface and varies the liquid resistance value, leading to unstable voltage application and low reproducibility of plasma light emission
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portion is formed in advance in the inner wall of the channel to pre-establish a structure that guides and stabilizes the gas-liquid interface. This preliminary structural preparation ensures that when air bubbles are generated, they are constrained to form a stable interface at the groove location, preventing random bubble retention and ensuring consistent plasma generation conditions across multiple operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove portion acts as an intermediary structure between the air bubbles and the channel wall. It provides a dedicated interface formation zone that mediates the interaction between gas and liquid phases, ensuring stable plasma generation by controlling where the gas-liquid interface forms and how air bubbles are retained, thereby stabilizing the liquid resistance value and voltage application.
2Reliability
If a discharge unit such as a syringe pump is used to move the solution and remove air bubbles, then air bubble retention is avoided, but the size of the plasma generator is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The groove portion enables the channel structure to self-regulate air bubble retention and gas-liquid interface formation without requiring external discharge units. The groove's geometric configuration automatically guides the solution flow and stabilizes the interface, allowing the system to maintain high reproducibility of plasma light emission through its own structural design rather than auxiliary equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for external discharge units (such as syringe pumps) by incorporating the air bubble management function directly into the channel structure through the groove portion. This removes the harmful dependency on large external devices while maintaining the beneficial effect of stable plasma generation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design achieves high reproducibility of plasma light emission by stabilizing the voltage and maintaining a consistent gas-liquid interface, enhancing the reliability of plasma generation for element analysis.
Implementation Method 1
plasma is generated in the air bubbles, and the light emission is measured
Implementation Method 2
the light emission is measured
Data Source
Figure 1(A)~1(E)
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present invention provides a chip for plasma generation, a plasma generator, and a plasma spectrometry method, having high reproducibility of plasma light emission without a requirement of a discharge unit for removing air bubbles. The chip for plasma generation of the present invention includes a channel, the channel has a first region, a narrow portion, and a second region, the narrow portion is in communication with the first region and the second region and has a cross-sectional area smaller than the first region and the second region, and the chip satisfies at least one of the following conditions (1) and (2): (1) at least one of the inner walls of the first region and the second region has a groove portion; and (2) the chip includes a cathode fixed on the inner wall of the first region.