LEAPS-MPS: Production of Solvated Electrons by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jets

该奖项的全部或部分资金来自《2021年美国救援计划法案》(公法117-2)。多氟烷基物质(PFAS)对地下水的污染日益成为一个重大的环境问题。有时被称为“永久化学物质”，这些化合物会生物积累，会导致不利的健康后果，而且很难分解。等离子体技术提供了很有希望的补救方法，特别是通过产生溶解在水中的自由电子(“溶剂化电子”)。该奖项支持科罗拉多学院的莱特博士研究大气压等离子体产生溶剂化电子的项目。该奖项还将提供资源，通过“研究孵化器”课程和资助暑期研究职位，让大量来自小学化背景的本科生参与尖端研究。这项研究计划在未来五到十年的主要目标是了解使用低温等离子体(LTP)从水中分解和提取顽固性污染物所涉及的物理和化学。该项目寻求通过采用现有的光谱技术来测量水表面溶剂化电子的随时间变化的浓度。超连续谱暂态吸收光谱是研究时间分辨化学和物理过程的一种成熟的方法，但它还没有被应用于LTP或等离子体/水界面。这种诊断方法的发展将为LTP及其驱动的化学物质的时间分辨研究开辟新的途径。拟议的研究还将阐明大气压等离子体射流作为溶剂化电子来源的情况，提供有关哪些等离子体参数对该过程重要的信息，并指导为补救应用优化等离子体源的努力。这一奖项资助了一项为来自代表性不足背景的一年级和二年级学生设计的“研究孵化器”试点课程，以降低进入本科生研究职位的门槛。该课程将在助学金期间运行两次，每次上限为10名学生。该奖项还为低收入、小规模和第一代大学生设立了六项专门的研究津贴。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Contamination of groundwater by poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is increasingly recognized as a major environmental issue. Sometimes called “forever chemicals,” these compounds bioaccumulate, can cause adverse health outcomes, and are difficult to break down. Plasma technologies offer promising avenues to remediation, especially via the production of free electrons dissolved in water (“solvated electrons”). This award supports Dr. Light at Colorado College in a project to study the production of solvated electrons by atmospheric pressure plasma. The award will also provide the resources to involve a significant number of undergraduates from minoritized backgrounds in cutting edge research through a “research incubator” course and funded summer research positions. The overarching goal of this research program in the next five to ten years is to understand the physics and chemistry involved in using low-temperature plasma (LTP) to break apart and extract recalcitrant contaminants from water. The project seeks to measure the time-dependent concentration of solvated electrons at the water’s surface by adapting an existing spectroscopic technique. Supercontinuum transient absorption spectroscopy is a well-established method for studying time-resolved chemical and physical processes, but it has not yet been applied to LTP or to the plasma/water interface. The development of this diagnostic would open new avenues for time-resolved studies of LTP and of the chemistry they drive. The proposed study will also illuminate the landscape of atmospheric pressure plasma jets as sources for solvated electrons, yield information about what plasma parameters are important to the process, and guide efforts to optimize plasma sources for remediation applications. This award funds a pilot “research incubator” course designed for first- and second-year students from underrepresented backgrounds in order to lower the entry barrier into undergraduate research positions. The course will run twice during the grant period, with a cap of ten students each time. The award also establishes six dedicated research stipends for low-income, minoritized, and first-generation college students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.