Experimental investigations of the ozone zero phenomenon

An experimental study is carried out to clarify the mechanism of the ozone zero phenomenon. Temporal variations of both the discharge characteristics and the metallic electrode surface in the ozone generator are investigated by the Lissajous figure method and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively. The AES results suggest that a number of oxygen atoms penetrate into the stainless-steel electrode owing to the exposure to ozone. Such a surface change would result in the temporal variation of the discharge characteristics of the generator.