Anomalous electron attachment properties of perfluoropropylene (1-C3F6) and their effect on the breakdown strength of this gas

Abstract
Electron attachment to perfluoropropylene (1-C3F6) in 1-C3F6/buffer gas mixtures has been found to be anomalously dependent on both the 1-C3F6 and buffer gas pressures, as well as on the gas temperature. The authors have found also that the uniform field breakdown strength of pure 1-C3F6 is dependent on gas pressure but not on the gas temperature. A mass spectrometer study of the negative ions formed in a moderately high pressure corona discharge has been made, and the principal negative ions formed by electron attachment to 1-C3F6 have been identified. Based on these studies, a reaction scheme for electron attachment to 1-C3F6 is proposed which results in stable negative ion clusters but does not involve pre-existing dimers. Further, the authors propose that the observed pressure dependence in the breakdown strength of this gas is due to the large pressure dependence of the electron attachment process they observed.

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