Self-consistent electron energy distribution functions in reacting CO2 discharge and post-discharges conditions

Large attention is nowadays devoted to the understanding of the activation of CO2 by cold plasmas in different conditions such as microwave (MW), dielectric barrier (DBD) or nano-repetitively pulsed (NRP) discharges. Theoretical efforts are being developed to better understand the electrical conditions necessary for maximizing the CO2 dissociation process [1-7]. In particular, Bogaerts et al. [1-2] concentrated their efforts on the vibrational plasma kinetics, while Pietanza et al. [3-7] devoted particular attention to the development of the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) in pure CO2 and CO plasmas. In this contribution, we present new results for MW CO2 reacting mixture, obtained by applying a self-consistent kinetic model, emphasizing the role of CO2 and CO electronically excited states (EESs) in affecting the EEDF. EESs play an important role in superposing structures in the EEDF especially in the post-discharge regime due to the action of superelastic collisions.