Novel Gas-Liquid Interfacial Plasmas for Synthesis of Metal Nanoparticles

Spatially and temporally Stable gas-liquid interfacial plasmas are created using ionic liquids as electrodes of a direct-current (DC) discharge under a low gas pressure condition. The potential structure formation in the gas-liquid interfacial region and the resultant behavior of the plasma ions are revealed by changing a polarity of the electrode in the liquid. When the ionic liquid is utilized as a cathode electrode, the positive ions in the plasma are irradiated to the ionic liquid and cause the physical and chemical reactions of the ionic liquid at the interface. The plasma ion irradiation can easily be controlled by changing the plasma parameter and is found to be effective for the metal nanoparticle synthesis in comparison with an electron irradiation.