Atmospheric Pressure Microwave Plasma Torch for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

During the past decade, cold plasma sources have gained much attention regarding biomedical applications. The large spectrum of observed effects (programmed cell death, bacterial inactivation, wound healing, etc.) has encouraged scientists to create and use different plasma sources operating at atmospheric pressure. The preferred plasma device to this point has been dielectric barrier discharges. In this work, we present well-known surface-wave-sustained microwave discharge operating at 2.45 GHz. This atmospheric pressure plasma torch can sustain low gas temperature at relatively low gas flow and power output, which makes it suitable for working with different model biological systems. We see a strong relationship among microwave power, torch length, and gas temperature. Moreover, gas flow and tube specifications (inner diameter, wall thickness, and dielectric permittivity) vary temperature and length of discharge. The purpose of this work is to precisely determine the working conditions at which this plasma source can be used in direct contact with biological objects.