Abstract
Predicting the gas-surface interactions of solid carbon is necessary for the design of many engineering systems that employ graphite. Experimental determination of the reaction rates improves the fidelity of those predictions. Here, we study oxidation and nitridation of graphite by thermal and non-thermal, plasma assisted processes. Experiments are conducted at a pressure of 2 kPa, higher than previous flow reactor experiments of this kind and closer to the conditions experienced in engineering applications. At these higher pressures, the limitations of mass transport and the interference between oxygen and nitrogen species become important. Reaction rates are determined from mass loss, reaction products are identified with mass spectrometry, and surface roughening is characterized by electron microscopy.