Evaluation of plasma‐reaction‐driving capability in dielectric barrier discharge systems: Insights from <scp> CH ₄ </scp> splitting

Abstract Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma systems are promising routes for CH 4 splitting to CO x ‐free hydrogen, but their optimization has historically been hindered by the lack of a universal descriptor linking electrical input with chemical output. Here, we propose the plasma effective driving factor (PED) as a physics‐informed engineering descriptor for evaluating plasma‐reaction‐driving capability in DBD reactors. PED integrates three coupled aspects of plasma activation: electric‐field‐driven electron acceleration, electron–molecule collision efficiency, and reactor‐scale participation of active microdischarges. Using CH 4 splitting as the primary reaction system, we show that PED captures plasma discharge and performance variations not consistently resolved by conventional electrical parameters. Extension to published DBD systems suggests the potential of PED for comparative analysis beyond the present CH 4 splitting system. Overall, PED provides a practical engineering framework for relating discharge‐state variation to chemical reaction response and offers a comparative basis for evaluating plasma‐reaction‐driving capability across different DBD conditions.