Characteristics of a Source of Synchronous Fluxes of UV Radiation and Zink Nanoparticles, Promising for Biomedical Engineering

The study investigates the properties of an overstressed nanosecond discharge between zinc electrodes in argon at pressures of pAr = 101.3 kPa. Under the influence of a strong electric field, microexplosions occurring at inhomogeneities on the electrode surfaces result in the release of zinc vapor into the discharge gap. This phenomenon creates favorable conditions for the formation of zinc-based nanostructures, which can subsequently be deposited onto a rigid dielectric substrate placed near the discharge gap. The spectral properties of the discharge were analyzed in the central area of the gap, where the electrode separation was kept at 2 mm. The excitation of primary plasma components, consisting of an argon-zinc vapor mixture, occurs at high values of the reduced electric field parameter (E/N), where (E) represents the electric field strength and (N) denotes particle concentration. These excited components, which are deposited outside the plasma region, play a role in the formation of zinc nanostructures on the surface. The study also explores the optimization of time-averaged ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted from the point discharge source by adjusting the voltage of the high-voltage modulator and the pulse repetition rate. Numerical simulations of discharge plasma parameters in argon-zinc vapor mixtures at atmospheric pressure were conducted by solving the Boltzmann kinetic equation for the electron energy distribution function (EEDF). The simulations provided values for the mean electron energy, electron temperature, electron density, and rate constants as functions of the reduced electric field parameter (E/N), which were consistent with the experimental observations of the discharge.