Interaction of atomized colloid with an ac electric field in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor used for deposition of nanocomposite coatings

Nanocomposite thin films can be obtained by polymerization of a colloidal solution in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure. In such a process, the dispersion of nanoparticles into the matrix is driven by the charging, transport, and deposition dynamics of the atomized colloid. This work examines the interaction of atomized TiO₂ nanoparticles with ac electric fields in a plane-to-plane dielectric barrier discharge reactor. Experiments are performed with the discharge off to examine transport and deposition phenomena over a wide range of experimental conditions with a fixed particle charge distribution. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the size distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles collected at different locations along the substrate surface placed on the bottom electrode of the DBD reactor can judiciously be controlled by varying the amplitude and frequency of the ac electric field. These results are also compared to the predictions of a simple particle motion model accounting for the electrostatic force, the gravitational force, and the neutral drag force in the laminar flow. It is found that while the initial charge distribution of atomized particles strongly influences the total deposition yield, its maximal position on the substrate, and the width of the deposited area, the initial size distribution of the particles at the entrance of the reactor mostly changes the size distribution at each position along the substrate surface.