Spatiotemporal corona discharge characteristics of nanoelectrode: array carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Abstract Corona discharge is a widely-used phenomenon that requires a sharp electrode to generate a strong electric field (106 V m−1) at high voltages (typically in the tens of kV). The advent of nanoelectrodes has overcome the technical limitations of traditional electrodes, dramatically improving the density of discharge points and enabling low voltage (several kV) corona discharges with nanometer-sized tips. Consequently, nanoelectrode discharge technology has the potential to revolutionize the miniaturization of plasma equipment in the future. However, research on the discharge characteristics of nanoelectrodes is still relatively sparse. This paper focuses on an array of carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) and proposes a numerical simulation model based on the hybrid hydrodynamics model and ion migration model. The accuracy and efficiency of this model are demonstrated by a high degree of agreement between the results from numerical simulations and experiments. In addition, the corona discharge characteristics of ACNTs are studied and discussed, particularly the spatiotemporal evolution of charged particles near the tip. This paper may provide a method of analysis for optimizing and broadly applying nanoelectrodes.