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

LEAPS-MPS：通过大气压等离子体射流产生溶剂化电子

• 批准号: 2213526
• 负责人: Adam Light
• 金额: $ 24.94万
• 依托单位: Colorado College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2213526&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LEAPS; MPS; Production; Solvated; Electrons

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.

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。多氟烷基物质（PFAS）对地下水的污染日益被认为是一个重大的环境问题。这些化合物有时被称为“永久化学物质”，它们会在生物体内积累，导致不良的健康后果，而且很难分解。等离子体技术提供了有希望的补救途径，特别是通过产生溶解在水中的自由电子（“溶剂化电子”）。该奖项支持光博士在科罗拉多学院的一个项目，研究生产溶剂化电子的大气压等离子体。该奖项还将提供资源，通过“研究孵化器”课程和资助的暑期研究职位，使大量来自少数民族背景的本科生参与尖端研究。该研究计划在未来五到十年的总体目标是了解使用低温等离子体（LTP）分解和提取水中的柠檬酸污染物所涉及的物理和化学。 该项目旨在通过调整现有的光谱技术来测量水表面溶剂化电子的时间依赖性浓度。超连续谱瞬态吸收光谱是研究时间分辨化学和物理过程的成熟方法，但尚未应用于LTP或等离子体/水界面。这种诊断的发展将为LTP及其驱动的化学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前景，产生有关等离子体参数对该过程至关重要的信息，并指导优化等离子体源以用于修复应用的努力。该奖项资助一项试点“研究孵化器”课程，该课程为来自代表性不足背景的一年级和二年级学生设计，以降低进入本科研究职位的门槛。该课程将在资助期间举办两次，每次最多10名学生。该奖项还为低收入、少数族裔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知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。