N Atom Radicals and N₂(A³∑u⁺) Found To Be Responsible for Nitrogen Oxides Conversion in Nonthermal Nitrogen Plasma

All species that are likely to be responsible for nitrogen oxides (N 2 O, NO, and NO 2 ) conversion in nitrogen plasma are analyzed in detail through carefully designed systematic experiments and theoretical analysis. The effect of ppm-level CO 2, CO, and 1% CO on N 2 O conversion reveals that the N 2 O conversion occurs mainly by interaction with N 2 (A 3 ∑ u + ) excited species. The effect of 1% CO on the NO conversion suggests that only N atom radicals are predominantly involved in NO conversion. NO 2 conversion, on the other hand, occurs by interaction with both N 2 (A 3 ∑ u + ) and N atom radicals. Therefore, only two active species, N 2 (A 3 ∑ u + ) and N atom radicals, are found to be responsible for nitrogen oxides conversion in nitrogen plasma.