Towards the fabrication of a morphing plasma source for biomedical applications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel plasma source combining dielectric barrier discharge and atmospheric plasma jet features, aimed at biomedical surface treatments, especially for delicate or complex 3D objects.

Contribution

It presents a new hybrid plasma source design with a flexible aerogel matrix, capable of morphing for diverse biomedical applications, and discusses its optical diagnostics and potential uses.

Findings

2D plasma jet distribution beyond the active region

Effective plasma composition characterization via optical emission spectroscopy

Potential for adaptable plasma treatment of complex biomedical samples

Abstract

A new design of plasma source that merges the main features of capacitive dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and cold atmospheric plasma jet (CAPJ) is discussed. The DBD system consists of a flexible, porous matrix consisting of silica aerogel, which is comprised between two planar-parallel electrodes. The supply of helium flow submitted to a sinusoidal voltage of 5-9 kV in amplitude and 15 kHz in frequency provides a 2D-distribution of plasma jets that propagate around 1 cm beyond the active DBD region. The plasma multi-jet system is aimed at surface treatment of 3D objects and large areas. CAPJ performance as a hypothetical morphing source in flat and bent configurations is discussed. Optical emission spectroscopy (OES) diagnostics has provided the composition of the CAPJ through the aerogel layer. This novel source is promising for situations requiring thorough adaptation of plasma parameters to delicate samples, as for example wound healing and treatment of surgical margins in plasma-based cancer surgery.