Enhancement and stabilization of pulsed streamer discharge in water by adding carbon nanotubes

Effects of adding single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) on pulsed streamer discharge characteristics in water were investigated. Adding a small amount of SWCNTs to deionized water generated stable streamer discharge. The number of streamer onset positions on a high-voltage wire electrode and the length of the streamer channels dramatically increased, in which the particles are larger than SWCNTs. The emission of the streamers became intense, and their propagation velocity increased rapidly in the SWCNT suspension. The SWCNTs' effects on the streamer discharge are discussed on the basis of a numerical calculation of the electric field around an SWCNT and a graphite powder particle. The electric field strength at the tip of a vertically standing SWCNT was strongly enhanced. The results suggested that adding SWCNTs to water could enhance and stabilize streamer discharge onset and its propagation.