A low-cost plasma source aimed for medical applications using Ar as the working gas

Abstract

Due to advances in equipment and intense research on plasma biomedical applications over the past few years, plasma devices are now suitable for clinical use. It has been demonstrated that plasma sources can be designed in a way that ensures their safe operation and application whilst preserving the relevant clinical results. However, the manufacturing and operating costs of such plasma devices remain high, which can be decisive for their adoption in medical procedures. In this work, a simple modification of a low-cost plasma jet configuration is proposed in order to evaluate the device’s viability for medical applications using argon as working gas. Typically, plasma jets operating with argon (Ar) generate high electrical currents, which makes them unsuitable for medical applications. With the proposed device modification, the treatment is no longer carried out using the plasma jet directly, but rather with the post-discharge effluent enriched with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. As a result, the electrical current reaching the target remains below the safety threshold established for plasma applications in humans. Tests on water activation by plasma jets with and without the proposed modification indicate that both devices can yield comparable outcomes.