Dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) is a typical non-equilibrium gas discharge with AC at low temperature and atmospheric pressure.In this paper the influence of DBD plasma on the crystallization of Cu(NO3)2· 3H2O is investigated.The experimental results show that DBD plasma has great influence on inducing the primary nucleation thus greatly reducing the nucleation time.Moreover,by applying DBD plasma,the morphology of Cu(NO3)2·3H2O was controlled during crystallization.In crystallization without DBD treatment,quadrilateral Cu(NO3)2·3H2O crystals were preferentially produced.However,if DBD plasma was applied during the nucleation process,the typical quadrilateral forms of crystal seeds transform to hexagonal crystals.The hexagonal crystals can grow to either hexagonal prism without further DBD plasma treatment or unique contact-twinned shaped hexangular star form under the environment of DBD plasma.
