Continuous gas temperature measurement of cold plasma jets containing microdroplets, using a focussed spot IR sensor

Controlling gas temperature via continuous monitoring is essential in various plasma applications especially for biomedical treatments and nanomaterial synthesis but traditional techniques have limitations due to low accuracy, high cost or experimental complexity. We demonstrate continuous high-accuracy gas temperature measurements of low-temperature atmospheric pressure plasma jets using a small focal spot infrared sensor directed at the outer quartz wall of the plasma. The impact of heat transfer across the capillary tube was determined using calibration measurements of the inner wall temperature. Measured gas temperatures varied from 25 °C-50 °C, increasing with absorbed power and decreased gas flow. The introduction into the plasma of a stream (∼105 s−1) of microdroplets, in the size range 12 μm-15 μm, led to a reduction in gas temperature of up to 10 °C, for the same absorbed power. This is an important parameter in determining droplet evaporation and its impact on plasma chemistry.