Methane coupling in nanosecond pulsed plasmas: Correlation between temperature and pressure and effects on product selectivity

•A new chemical kinetic model for gas-phase CH4 coupling in nanosecond pulsed discharges is presented.•The transient behavior of the nanosecond pulsed discharge is described.•At 1 bar and 2 bar, the production of C2H2 is favoured due to the efficient dehydrogenation of C2H3.•From 3 bar to 5 bar, the principal channel for C2H3 conversion is the re-hydrogenation to C2H4.•C2H4 is the main product when operating at > 2 bar.