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Plasma polymerization of ethane. I. Experimental studies of effluent gas composition and polymer deposition rates

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Abstract

The plasma polymerization of ethane was studied in a flow reactor of rectangular cross section. The plasma was sustained between parallel-plate electrodes by an RF generator operating at 13.56 MHz. The composition of the gas leaving the reactor was analyzed by gas chromatography. Polymer deposition rates were measured as a function of axial position in the reactor, using a quartz-crystal microbalance. The effluent gas is composed primarily of unreacted C2H6 and H2. Significant concentrations of CH4, C2H4, C2H2, and C3H8, and small amounts of C3H6, i-C5H12, and n-C5H12, are also observed. The distribution of these products is a strong function of the discharge power and of the gas pressure and residence time in the plasma. These experimental variables also affect both the rate of polymer deposition and the shape of the deposition profile along the reactor axis.

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Jensen, R.J., Bell, A.T. & Soong, D.S. Plasma polymerization of ethane. I. Experimental studies of effluent gas composition and polymer deposition rates. Plasma Chem Plasma Process 3, 139–161 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00566018

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00566018

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