Interaction of an unwetted liquid Li-based capillary porous system with high-density plasma

Abstract

This study examined the effects of plasma irradiation on an unwetted liquid lithium-based capillary porous system (Li-CPS). The Li-CPS was irradiated with high-density Ar plasma using a linear plasma device at Sichuan University for Plasma Surface Interaction (SCU-PSI). The high-speed camera, Langmuir probe, and multi-channel spectrometer were used to characterize the effects of plasma irradiation. Upon Ar plasma irradiation, liquid Li drops were formed on the surface of the unwetted Li-CPS. Immediately after this irradiation, the drops fractured and were ejected into the plasma within ~20 ms scale, which is not observed before to the best of our knowledge. Related results showed that the ejection behavior of Li could effectively cool electron temperature and reduce incident heat flux by ~30% and correspondingly matrix temperature ~150 °C, revealing an enhanced vapor shielding effect. The involved internal mechanism and physical processes deserve further investigations.