Single-step fabrication of fibrous Si/Sn composite nanowire anodes by high-pressure He plasma sputtering for high-capacity Li-ion batteries.

To realize high-capacity Si anodes for next-generation Li-ion batteries, Si/Sn nanowires were fabricated in a single-step procedure using He plasma sputtering at a high pressure of 100-500 mTorr without substrate heating. The Si/Sn nanowires consisted of an amorphous Si core and a crystalline Sn shell. Si/Sn composite nanowire films formed a spider-web-like network structure, a rod-like structure, or an aggregated structure of nanowires and nanoparticles depending on the conditions used in the plasma process.

Nanostructured Ge and GeSn films by high-pressure He plasma sputtering for high-capacity Li ion battery anodes.

We fabricated nanostructured Ge and GeSn films using He radio-frequency magnetron plasma sputtering deposition. Monodisperse amorphous Ge and GeSn nanoparticles of 30-40 nm size were arranged without aggregation by off-axis sputtering deposition in the high He-gas-pressure range of 0.1 Torr.

Publisher Correction: Decomposition and oxidation of methionine and tryptophan following irradiation with a nonequilibrium plasma jet and applications for killing cancer cells.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Decomposition and oxidation of methionine and tryptophan following irradiation with a nonequilibrium plasma jet and applications for killing cancer cells.

We present evidence for the decomposition and oxidation of amino acids in aqueous solution following irradiation with a nonequilibrium plasma jet. Of 15 amino acids tested in cell culture medium, plasma irradiation induced a marked chemical change in methionine and tryptophan due to the effective production of reactive oxygen species by plasma-water interaction. We also report that plasma-treated methionine and tryptophan aqueous solutions can kill cancer cells, greatly decreasing the viability of human endometrial carcinoma (HEC-1) cancer cells due to the presence of decomposition or oxidation products generated from the amino acid.

Plasma-enhanced reactive linear sputtering source for formation of silicon-based thin films.

In this study, an inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-enhanced reactive sputter deposition system with a rectangular target was developed as a linear plasma source for roll-to-roll deposition processes. The longitudinal distribution of the film thickness indicated the feasibility of uniformity control via the control of the power deposition profile of the assisted ICPs. The characteristics of Si films were investigated in terms of the film thickness uniformity and film crystallinity.

Dynamic Properties of Helium Atmospheric Dielectric-Barrier-Discharge Plasma Jet.

We present here experiments on helium atmospheric dielectric-barrier discharge jet in open air. A long stable plasma plume is realized at high applied voltage and high gas flow rate. Optical emission measurements show that the plasma plume consists of two part: a plume head with high energy electrons and a tail part with low energy electrons.

Atmospheric-Pressure Gas-Breakdown Characteristics with a Radio-Frequency Voltage.

We present He atmospheric-pressure gas-breakdown phenomena with radio frequency (RF) voltages in the frequency region from a few tens MHz to 100 MHz. The gas-breakdown voltage for RF and very high frequency (VHF) discharges is considerably lower than that for the DC discharge, and the gas-breakdown voltage is effectively reduced to be as low as 160 V in VHF region. The discharge characteristics drastically change with increasing discharge-voltage frequency, and strong emisson is highly loclized in front of the power- and ground-electrode in the VHF discharges.

Plasma Interaction with Organic Molecules in Liquid as Fundamental Processes in Plasma Medicine.

Investigation of plasma-organic materials interaction in aqueous solution with atmospheric pressure plasmas have been carried out. Degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution via atmospheric pressure He plasma exposure through gas/liquid interface have been investigated. The optical emission spectrum shows considerable emissions of He lines and the emission of O, OH and N radicals attributed to dissociation of water (H2O) and air has been confirmed.

Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Interaction with Soft Materials as Fundamental Processes in Plasma Medicine.

Molecular-structure variation of organic materials irradiated with atmospheric pressure He plasma jet have been investigated. Optical emission spectrum in the atmospheric-pressure He plasma jet has been measured. The spectrum shows considerable emissions of He lines, and the emission of O and N radicals attributed to air.