USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Scott G Walton

Evgeniya H Lock

David R Boris

Robert A Meger

Chris Rowe Taitt

Richard F Fernsler

Stella H North

Darrin Leonhardt

Matthew Laskoski

David A Stenger

David Kurt Gaskill

Scott A Trammell

Rachael L Myers-Ward

Daniel Zabetakis

Paul E Sheehan

William E Amatucci

Sandra C Hangarter

David D Blackwell

David N Walker

Shawn P Mulvaney

Tzvetelina Petrova

Eric D Gillman

Christopher D Cothran

Mira Baraket

Darrin Leenhardt

Daniel R Hines

Christopher Muratore

Methods and apparatuses for the production of HF in an electron-beam generated plasma. A gas containing fluorine, hydrogen, and an inert gas such as argon, e.g., Ar/SF/HO or Ar/SF/NHflows into a plasma treatment chamber to produce a low pressure gas in the chamber. An electron beam directed into the gas forms a plasma from the gas, with energy from the electron beam dissociating the F-containing molecules, which react with H-containing gas to produce HF in the plasma. Although the concentration of the gas phase HF in the plasma is a very small fraction of the total gas in the chamber, due to its highly reactive nature, the low concentration of HF produced by the method of the present invention is enough to modify the surfaces of materials, performing the same function as aqueous HF solutions to remove oxygen from an exposed material.

Plasma-based process for production of F and HF from benign precursors and use of the same in room-temperature plasma processing

An electrochemical cell includes a working electrode in contact with an aqueous electrolyte solution, a counter electrode in contact with the aqueous electrolyte solution, and a reference electrode in contact with the aqueous electrolyte solution. The working electrode comprises a plasma modified epitaxial synthesized graphene surface fabricated on SiC.

Plasma modified epitaxial fabricated graphene on SiC for electrochemical trace detection of explosives

A method for dry graphene transfer comprising growing graphene on a growth substrate, chemically modifying a transfer substrate to enhance its adhesion to graphene, contacting the graphene on the growth substrate with the transfer substrate and transfer printing; and separating the transfer substrate with attached graphene from the growth substrate. The growth substrate may be copper foil. The transfer substrate may be a polymer, such as polystyrene or polyethylene, or an inorganic substrate.

Dry graphene transfer from metal foils

Disclosed herein is a method of: treating an organic polymer with an electron beam-generated plasma; exposing the treated polymer to air or an oxygen- and hydrogen-containing gas, generating hydroxyl groups on the surface of the polymer; reacting the surface with an organosilane compound having a chloro, fluoro, or alkoxy group and a functional or reactive group that is less reactive with the surface than the chloro, fluoro, or alkoxy group; and covalently immobilizing a biomolecule to the functional or reactive group or a reaction product thereof.

Processing microtitre plates for covalent immobilization chemistries

An apparatus and methods to increase and direct the spatial volume of atmospheric pressure plasma jets. One or more additional gas flows is introduced to intersect the plasma jet. As the plasma jet interacts with these additional gas flows, the direction of propagation of the plasma jet is altered, the plasma expands into the volume defined by the additional gas flow, and the volume and effective surface area of the plasma jet increases accordingly, while the power increase needed to drive the increase in plasma volume scales sub-linearly with the increase in volume.

Apparatus and method for augmenting the volume of atmospheric pressure plasma jets

An apparatus and method for controlling electron flow within a plasma to produce a controlled electron beam is provided. A plasma is formed between a cathode and an acceleration anode. A control anode is connected to the plasma and to the acceleration anode via a switch. If the switch is open, the ions from the plasma flow to the cathode and plasma electrons flow to the acceleration anode. With the acceleration anode suitably transparent and negatively biased with a DC high voltage source, the electrons flowing from the plasma are accelerated to form an electron beam. If the switch is closed, the ions still flow to the cathode but the electrons flow to the control anode rather than the acceleration anode. Consequently, the electron beam is turned off, but the plasma is unaffected. By controlling the opening and closing of the switch, a controlled pulsed electron beam can be generated.

Apparatus and method for regulating the output of a plasma electron beam source

An apparatus and method for determining plasma parameters such as plasma electron density n. The probe apparatus includes an LC resonance probe comprising an inductive element and a capacitive element connected in series. The capacitive element of the probe can be in the form of a parallel plate capacitor, a cylindrical capacitor, a spherical capacitor, or any other suitable capacitor. The configuration of the probe apparatus gives it a characteristic resonance frequency &#x3c9;which can be determined by a circuit analysis device. When the capacitive element of the probe apparatus is placed in a plasma, the probe exhibits a new resonance frequency &#x3c9;, which is different from &#x3c9;because of the dielectric constant &#x2208; of the plasma. The difference in resonance frequencies can be used to determine plasma density n, where 

LC resonance probe for determining local plasma density

An ion-ion plasma source, that features a processing chamber containing a large concentration of halogen or halogen-based gases. A second chamber is coupled to the processing chamber and features an electron source which produces a high energy electron beam. The high energy electron beam is injected into the processing chamber where it is shaped and confined by a means for shaping and confining the high energy electron beam. The high energy electron beam produced in the second chamber when injected into the processing chamber ionizes the halogen gas creating a dense, ion-ion plasma in the processing chamber that is continuous in time.

Time continuous ion-ion plasma

An ion-ion plasma source, that features a processing chamber containing a large concentration of halogen or halogen-based gases. A second chamber is coupled to the processing chamber and features an electron source which produces a high energy electron beam. The high energy electron beam is injected into the processing chamber where it is shaped and confined by a means for shaping and confining the high energy electron beam. The high energy electron beam produced in the second chamber when injected into the processing chamber ionizes the halogen gas creating a dense, ion-ion plasma in the processing chamber that is continuous in time. A method for creating an ion-ion plasma continuous in time.

Method and apparatus for producing an ion-ion plasma continuous in time

A large area metallization pretreatment and surface activation system that uses an electron beam-produced plasma capable of delivering substantial ion and radical fluxes at low temperatures over large areas of an organic plastic or polymer material. The ion and radical fluxes physically and chemically alter the surface structure of the organic plastic or polymer material thereby improving the ability of a film to adhere to the material.

Growing community of inventors

Fairfax Station, VA, United States of America

Scott G Walton