Plasma Processes and Polymers 

About: Plasma Processes and Polymers is an academic journal published by Wiley. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Plasma & Thin film. It has an ISSN identifier of 1612-8850. Over the lifetime, 2566 publications have been published receiving 61737 citations.

Applied Plasma Medicine

Abstract: An emerging field of plasma medicine is discussed, where non-equilibrium plasmas are shown to be able to initiate, promote, control, and catalyze various complex behaviors and responses in biological systems. More importantly, it will be shown that plasma can be tuned to achieve the desired medical effect, especially in medical sterilization and treatment of different kind of skin diseases. Wound healing and tissue regeneration can be achieved following various types of plasma treatment in a multitude of wound pathologies. Non-equilibrium plasmas will be shown to be non-destructive to tissue, safe, and effective in inactivation of various parasites and foreign organisms.

Low Temperature Plasma-Based Sterilization: Overview and State-of-the-Art

Abstract: Summary: Low temperature, high pressure, non-equilibrium plasmas are now routinely used in several material processing applications, and in some cases are competing with low pressure plasmas in areas where these have historically been dominant. Etching and deposition are examples of such applications. Amongst the novel applications of non-equilibrium plasmas, biomedical applications such as electrosurgery, surface modification of biocompatible materials, and the sterilization of heat-sensitive medical tools are particularly interesting. In this paper, first a brief overview of recent research on reduced-pressure plasma-based sterilization/decontamination methods is given. Then a detailed review and discussion on the effects of atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasmas on the cells of bacteria is presented. This includes the evaluation of the inactivation kinetics and the roles of the various plasma agents in the inactivation process. Measurements of the plasma temperature, the UV emission, and concentrations of various reactive species for the case of air plasma are presented. Plasma sub-lethal effects are also briefly discussed, and the prospects of the use of “cold” plasmas in the biomedical field are outlined.

Plasma Methods for the Generation of Chemically Reactive Surfaces for Biomolecule Immobilization and Cell Colonization ‐ A Review

Abstract: This review surveys methods for the fabrication, by plasma surface treatments or plasma polymerization, of polymeric surfaces and thin plasma polymer coatings that contain reactive chemical groups useful for the subsequent covalent immobilization, by solution chemical reactions or vapor phase grafting, of molecules or polymers that can exert bio-specific interfacial responses. Surfaces containing amine, carboxy, hydroxy, and aldehyde groups are the subject of this review. Aminated surfaces have been fabricated using various plasma vapors or mixtures and have found wide use for bio-interface applications. However, in many cases the amine surfaces have a rather limited shelf life, with post-plasma oxidation reactions and surface adaptation leading to the disappearance of amine groups from the surface. Aging is a widespread phenomenon that often has not been recognized, particularly in some of the earlier studies on the use of plasma-fabricated surfaces for bio-interfacial applications, and can markedly alter the surface chemistry. Plasma-fabricated surfaces that contain carboxy groups have also been well documented. Fewer reports exist on hydroxy and aldehyde surfaces prepared by plasma methods. Hydroxy surfaces can be prepared by water plasma treatment or the plasma polymerization of alkyl alcohol vapors. Water plasma treatment on many polymer substrates suffers from aging, with surface adaptation leading to the movement of surface modification effects into the polymer. Both hydroxy and aldehyde surfaces have been used for the covalent immobilization of biologically active molecules. Aging effects are less well documented than for amine surfaces. This review also surveys studies using such surfaces for cell colonization assays. Generally, these surface chemistries show good ability to support cell colonization, though the effectiveness seems to depend on the process vapor and the plasma conditions. Carboxylate co-polymer surfaces have shown excellent ability to support the colonization of some human cell lines of clinical interest. Immobilization of proteins onto plasma-carboxylated surfaces is also well established.

Nonthermal Plasma Processing for Air‐Pollution Control: A Historical Review, Current Issues, and Future Prospects

Abstract: Summary: This review describes the historical development, current status, and future prospects for nonthermal plasma (NTP) technology and its application as an air-pollution control. In particular, this review focuses on the cutting-edge technology of hybrid NTP, where it is combined with other methods such as wet processing, the use of adsorbents, and catalysis. Historical landmarks in the development of NTP technology and the current status of large-scale applications are discussed. The general characteristics of the combined system of NTP with catalysts are described in the context of the decomposition of NOx and benzene. Comparison of different NTP reactors for 200 ppm benzene decomposition (water vapor 0.5 vol.-%).

Arc-Free Atmospheric Pressure Cold Plasma Jets: A Review

Abstract: Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jets/plumes are playing an increasingly important role in various plasma processing applications. This is because of their practical capability to provide plasmas that are not spatially bound or confined by electrodes. This capability is very desirable in many situations such as in biomedical applications. Various types of ‘cold’ plasma jets have, therefore, been developed to better suit specific uses. In this paper a review of the different cold plasma jets developed to date is presented. The jets are classified according to their power sources, which cover a wide frequency spectrum from DC to microwaves. Each jet is characterized by providing its operational parameters such as its electrodes system, plasma temperature, jet/plume geometrical size (length, radius), power consumption, and gas mixtures used. Applications of each jet are also briefly covered.