Non-self-sustained electric discharge in oxygen gas mixtures: singlet delta oxygen production

The possibility of obtaining a high specific input energy in an electron-beam sustained discharge ignited in oxygen gas mixtures O 2 : Ar : CO (or H 2 ) at the total gas pressures of 10–100 Torr was experimentally demonstrated. The specific input energy per molecular component exceeded ∼6 kJ l −1 atm −1 (150 kJ mol −1 ) as a small amount of carbon monoxide was added into a gas mixture of oxygen and argon. It was theoretically demonstrated that one might expect to obtain a singlet delta oxygen yield of 25% exceeding its threshold value needed for an oxygen–iodine laser operation at room temperature, when maintaining a non-self-sustained discharge in oxygen gas mixtures with molecular additives CO, H 2 or D 2 . The efficiency of singlet delta oxygen production can be as high as 40%.