Chemical engineering professor, undergrad find chemistry of plasma/liquid interactions

New paper reveals fundamental chemistry of plasma/liquid interactions

Science Daily: As part of a multidisciplinary project with Notre Dame University, Mohan Sankaran, associate professor of chemical engineering, and undergraduate student Megan Witzke helped reveal that the electrons in plasma actually serve to separate water, producing hydrogen gas. “We had preliminary evidence that suggested that the plasma electrons would reduce various chemical species in the liquid but always believed that they must have been interacting with water as well,” Sankaran said. “This study conclusively proves that the electrons directly interact with and electrolyze water.”