Glow discharge is a technique used for surface modification and cleaning of materials, particularly in electron microscopy and surface science. It's employed to remove contaminants, improve hydrophilicity, and enhance the surface properties of various materials. The PELCO easiGlow is a commercially available glow discharge system designed for easy and efficient operation. To perform a glow discharge using n-Amylamine in a PELCO easiGlow, follow these steps:

1. Safety Precautions:

Before starting, ensure that you are following all safety guidelines and precautions, including wearing appropriate personal protective equipment.

Work in a well-ventilated area or under a fume hood as n-Amylamine can release vapors that may be harmful if inhaled.

2. Sample Preparation:

Place your sample inside the glow discharge chamber. This can be any material or substrate that you want to modify or clean. Ensure that the sample is properly secured and positioned.

3. n-Amylamine Handling:

n-Amylamine is used as a precursor for the glow discharge process. You'll need to handle it with care.

Prepare a small dish or container with n-Amylamine to generate the vapor phase of the amylamine within the chamber.

4. Chamber Setup:

Open the PELCO easiGlow chamber and place the container with n-Amylamine inside the chamber.

Close the chamber and ensure it is properly sealed.

5. Parameters Setting:

Turn on the PELCO easiGlow system and set the parameters. These parameters may include:

Discharge power: Set the desired power level for the glow discharge, typically in the range of 10-100 W.

Time: Set the treatment time, usually a few minutes to several minutes.

Gas Flow: If your system allows, you may need to control the gas flow rate. n-Amylamine vapor can be generated by controlling the flow of the gas carrying the vapor.

6. Initiate the Glow Discharge:

Start the glow discharge process. The system will create a low-pressure, glow discharge plasma by applying power to the electrodes inside the chamber.

7. Treatment Duration:

Allow the glow discharge to run for the specified treatment time. During this process, the n-Amylamine vapor will interact with the sample surface, causing surface modification.

8. Ventilation and Safety:

After the treatment, ensure the chamber is well-ventilated to remove any residual vapors.

Open the chamber carefully, as it may contain potentially harmful or noxious fumes.

9. Sample Removal:

Remove the treated sample from the chamber. It should now have improved surface properties due to the glow discharge treatment.

10. Post-Treatment:

Depending on your application, you may need to perform additional steps such as analysis or testing of the modified sample.

Always refer to the PELCO easiGlow user manual and any safety data sheets for n-Amylamine to ensure you're following the manufacturer's recommendations and safety protocols when working with the equipment and chemicals. Additionally, the specific parameters and conditions may vary based on the type of material and the desired surface modification, so you may need to adjust the settings accordingly.

Hi Amy,

thanks for referring precisely to the appparatus. Based on that, Aftab gave a good, very precise answer. There is little to add from my side:

Depending on the degree of hydropilicity/surface energy you want to achieve, you may vary the process parameters:

Playing with these parameters you will find some continuum of surface energies depending on the ratio of N- and O-containing groups to the hydrocarbons.

I suggest to follow Aftab´s procedure at medium power setting for some high and low amylamine loading and maybe, some low and high setting of glow time (post-treatment), respectively.

The influence of parameters in general is described nicely in Hirotsugu Yasuda´s work on gow discharge polymerization.

Best wishes,

Heinrich