99555 - PLASMA INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS M

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student is able to characterize the state of the art of industrial processes assisted by thermal (hot) plasmas for the production and treatment of high added value materials, as well as to analyze the most recent technologies that make use of non-equilibrium (cold) plasmas at atmospheric pressure, for applications in various sectors related to the energy, mechanical and biomedical industries. During the course, these technologies will be discussed in terms of design, economic sustainability and experimental analysis. The student also has knowledge of the main tools adopted in the field of intellectual property protection (patents and scientific articles) and has acquired methodologies for their systematic analysis. The student is also able to synthesize patents and scientific articles and contextualize them with respect to the state of the art of their industrial sector of reference.

Course contents

Advanced industrial applications are characterized by the common need for innovative treatments that modify the properties of different materials (which might occur in liquid, solid or gaseous phase and can even be biological materials). Plasma, an ionized gas capable of conducting heat and electricity and consisting of electrons, ions, neutrals and radical species, has an extraordinary potential linked to its numerous active agents that give the technology the versatility required to adapt even to the most innovative and complex applications. Controlling plasma characteristics and optimizing them for specific applications requires physical and engineering skills combined with a strongly interdisciplinary problem-solving approach.

After a brief introduction aimed at providing students with the fundamentals of i) plasma physics and chemistry and ii) intellectual property protection, the course will focus on plasma industrial applications. In particular, the following topics will be illustrated:

• Plasma catalysis for carbon capture, methane reforming, pyrolysis and coupling
• Material processing for microelectronic, energy, biomedical and manufacture sectors
• Inductively coupled thermal plasmas for the synthesis of nanomaterials
• Gas discharge lighting
• Plasma assisted decontamination in the agrifood chain
• Plasma medicine and plasma technologies for medical therapies

During the course, plasma technologies will be discussed in terms of design, intellectual property, economic sustainability and experimental analysis.

Readings/Bibliography

• Lieberman, Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2005)
• Fridman, Plasma Chemistry, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge UK (2008)
• Parvulescu, Magureanu, Lukes. Plasma Chemistry and Catalysis in Gases and Liquids, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA (2012)

Teaching methods

Lectures with overhead projector and slides

Problem based exercises

Flipped class exercises

Group works

Assessment methods

Examination procedures: exercises to be carried out during the course (1/3 of the mark) and oral exam (2/3 of the mark)

Teaching tools

Supporting documents made available on Virtuale

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Gherardi

See the website of Romolo Laurita