Combining graphene and nanodiamonds for better microplasma devices
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Microplasma devices are incredibly versatile tools for generating and sustaining plasmas on micro- and millimeter scales. The latest advances in nanotechnology now promise to expand their range of applications even further but, so far, this progress has been held back by the limited stability of some nanostructures at the extreme temperatures required to sustain many plasmas.
In a recent study published in Fundamental Plasma Physics, K J Sankaran and colleagues at the CSIR Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, India, overcome this challenge by decorating sheets of graphene with more stable nanodiamonds—that is, diamonds with diameters smaller than about 100 nm—allowing them to endure far more extreme conditions.
This combined material could expand the use of microplasma devices across a diverse array of useful applications, such as sterilizing and healing wounds, analyzing chemicals, and displaying images.
