Optical diagnostic of bipolar electrical discharges in HCl, KCl, and KOH solutions

In this work, the characteristics of the plasma generated in HCl, KCl, and KOH solutions were analyzed using electrical and optical diagnostic techniques. Electrical discharges were initiated between two tungsten electrodes. Current and voltage characteristics have shown the features of a spark discharge for all of the solutions used in the experiment. The reactive species identified in the optical emission spectra depended on the type of solution used to generate the plasma. The time evolution of the reactive species depended on the nature of the solution and on the polarity of the applied pulse. The absorption spectra of the OH radical (X2Π→ A2Σ+) were acquired when the voltage pulses were applied to the electrodes, with the intensity being lower in the regions between the pulses. The OH radical density was highest for the HCl solution plasma (2 x 1017 cm-3) when positive voltage pulses were applied to the electrodes.