Plasma physics at Bo.Ing 2024

Pupils learn about the world of plasmas through the Bo.Ing

On 20th February the BO.Ing, a study orientation day for engineering studies, took place. High school students attended a lecture, were guided through laboratories, and could participate in exciting workshops such as plasma physics. The high school students learned a lot about plasmas and their applications. They coated samples using the sputter coater and analysed the properties of the produced gold layers.

DPG spring meeting in Greifswald

CRC 1316 members contribute to German Physics meeting

From February 26th to February 29th, the CRC 1316 joined the DPG spring conference, featuring four invited talks, numerous regular presentations, and engaging poster sessions, which took place in Greifswald. The event also witnessed active participation from our community, with one of our members being a part of the Advisory Board for Plasma Physics of the DPG.

Meeting

PI meeting in Bochum

Two days of intensive collaboration and discussion marked the recent project meeting of the PIs of CRC 1316. Held at Beckmanns Hof in Bochum, the gathering on February 20 and February 21 showcased a commitment to shared goals and collective progress within the project. The meeting brought together PIs from the different groups. A significant portion of the two-day event was dedicated to in-depth discussions about ongoing projects, research findings, and the future trajectory of CRC 1316.

Young scientists

Research stay of Jan Kuhfeld in Japan

Jan Kuhfeld, an Early Career Researcher (ECR) affiliated with the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1316, has been chosen for a two-year research stay in Sapporo, Japan, through a fellowship granted by the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS). During his stay, he will conduct optical diagnostics in Professor Sasaki's laboratory at Hokkaido University to measure particle densities of reactive species in atmospheric pressure plasmas.

The application process involved a two-week visit to Sapporo in April 2023, where the research project was elaborated upon in detail.

Workshop

3rd Workshop on FAIR Data in Plasma Science

The 3rd Workshop on FAIR Data in Plasma Science will take place on May 13-14, 2024 at Kiel University, Kiel, Germany. There will be an option for virtual participation. The workshop is a continuation of successful events on research data management in the low-temperature plasma community in the past years. It aims to inform about current developments and to strengthen the exchange in the community on this topic. A further step in the series will be contributions to the needs and practical solutions related to the implementation of the FAIR data principles into practical research workflows. This covers both the field of laboratory experiments as well as modeling/simulations. A hands-on session will demonstrate how the electronic laboratory notebook system eLabFTW and the metadata creation tool Adamant can be set up and used in the field of plasma research.

Registration:
Please fill out the registration form to register for the workshop (https://www.plasma-mds.org/ws-fair-data-plasma-science-3.html). Registration is free of charge. Note that the available seats for on-site participation are limited.

Deadline for registration: April 29, 2024

Venue:
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics
Kiel University
Conference room LS 19/214
Leibnizstraße 19
24118 Kiel

Contact:
The workshop is part of the activities of the working group Experimental Plasma Physics at Kiel University (CAU), the INF project of the CRC 1316 at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and the Department Plasma Modelling and Data Science at Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP).

Experimental Plasma Physics
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics
Kiel University, LS 19/104
Leibnizstraße 17
24118 Kiel
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: https://www.physik.uni-kiel.de/de/institute/ag-benedikt

Special Issue

Plasma in Liquids for Materials

PIs from the CRC1316, together with experts in the field, organize a special issue on the topic of ''Plasma in Liquids for Materials" in the Journal of Applied Physics D.

Plasmas in Liquids for Materials is a rapidly developing field, where the intimate coupling between an intense plasma above and/or inside a liquid is coupled with the species chemistry of an electrolyte, including the solvent and species dissolved in that electrolyte or with solids next to the plasma. The materials synthesis and modification are most often driven by the liquid chemistry and/or the presence of large quantities of solvated electrons. Many of these processes are being explored application driven such as:

• formation of nanoparticles
• functionalizing surfaces
• micromachining surfaces
• polishing surfaces

The fundamental understanding from the plasma physics in these complex multiphase systems to the electrochemistry involving plasma-excited species, however, remains limited. this special issue aims at bridging this gap between fundamental plasma science and electrochemistry in these activated media with a focus on materials applications. we hope this collection will showcase advances in modelling and diagnostics of plasmas in liquids for materials applications, including electrochemistry, (electro)catalysis, nanoparticle formation and renewable energy applications in general.

Guest Editors

• Achim von Keudell, Ruhr University Bochum, Germany
• Mohan Sankaran, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
• Thierry Belmonte, Université de Lorraine, France
• Albert K. Engstfeld, Ulm University, Germany

New Project Granted

B14 - Structure and dynamics of the solvated electron at electrified solid/liquid interfaces

A new project B14 with the title "The solvated Electron at the electrified solid/liquid interface: structure and dynamics from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations" for PI Marialore Sulpizi has been granted.

The aim of this project is the structural and dynamical characterization of the solvated electron in the presence of applied electric fields, in different environments, including liquid interfaces in contact with a conducting or insulating solid. The solvated electron is a species which is central to the field of plasma/liquid and plasma/solid/liquid interfaces as the primary reducing agent which is produced at plasma electrodes in contact with a liquid. Although the solvated electron has been subject of intensive experimental and theoretical investigation under equilibrium conditions, its properties in the presence of electric fields, are still quite unexplored. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations including the electronic structure, to understand the impact of electric fields on the structure and dynamics of the solvated electron will be used.  

Research

Small spheres save enzymes for biocatalysis

Plasmas can supply the co-substrate for the biocatalysis of valuable substances, but pity the enzymes. If the latter are attached to small spheres, they work protected and up to 44 times longer.

Some enzymes, such as the one from fungi studied here, are able to produce valuable substances such as the fragrance (R)-1-phenylethanol. To do this, they convert a less expensive substrate using a cosubstrate. A research team from the Department of Biology at Ruhr-Universität Bochum came up with the idea of supplying them with this cosubstrate via a plasma - a crazy idea, as plasmas generally have a destructive effect on biomolecules. However, using several tricks, the researchers led by Prof. Dr. Julia Bandow and Dr. Tim Dirks succeeded. They have now refined one of these tricks and thus improved the process: they attach the enzymes to small balls to hold them to the bottom of the reactor and like this protect them from the harmful influence of the plasma. By choosing the most suitable type of ball, they were able to increase the stability of the enzyme 44-fold. They report in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface from October 25, 2023.

Model enzyme from an edible mushroom

"In plasma-driven biocatalysis, we want to operate enzymes that use hydrogen peroxide to convert a substrate into a more valuable product using technical plasmas," explains Julia Bandow, Head of the Chair of Applied Microbiology. The plasmas - energetically charged gases - produce hydrogen peroxide as well as a variety of reactive species.

The researchers use the non-specific peroxigenase (AaeUPO) from the edible fungus Agrocybe aegerita as a model enzyme. In initial studies, they were able to show that although plasma-driven biocatalysis works with it, there are also key limitations. "The decisive factor was that the enzymes react sensitively to the plasma treatment and are therefore inactivated within a short period of time," explains Tim Dirks, first author of the current study. "To prevent this, we use the method of enzyme immobilization, i.e. attaching the enzymes to so-called beads: small spheres with a porous surface."

Spheres keep the enzymes at the bottom

Due to gravity, these spheres lie on the bottom of the sample and provide a protective zone between the plasma phase at the top and the enzymes. The research team observed early on that the choice of different immobilization methods also led to different survival rates of enzymes. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate the effect of different immobilization methods on the plasma stability of enzymes using a larger selection of enzymes.

Five different enzymes were selected, two of which also convert hydrogen peroxide and three of which do not require hydrogen peroxide for their activity. The researchers tested nine different types of beads, some of which had a resin surface and others a silica surface with or without a polymer coating. After immobilization, the enzymes were treated with plasma for up to five minutes. The researchers then compared their residual activity with untreated controls.

The path to new applications

The beads with resin surfaces showed the best results for all five enzymes. "The amino and epoxy-butyl beads performed best," like these," says Tim Dirks. In both cases, the enzymes form a strong, covalent bond with the carrier material, which cannot be dissolved. "This type of immobilization appears to limit the mobility of the enzymes, which makes them less susceptible to plasma-induced inactivation," concludes Tim Dirks. The team extended the plasma treatment times for the most promising candidates to up to one hour and, like this, was able to increase the stability of the enzymes under plasma treatment by up to a factor of 44 through immobilization. "The findings of this study thus pave the way for new applications that aim to combine enzymes with technical plasmas in the future," the researchers like this.

adapted from Maike Drießen, RUB