Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas: Physics and Applications

Numerous applications of non-equilibrium (cold, low temperature) plasmas require those plasmas to operate at atmospheric pressure. One of the attractive characteristics of non-equilibrium plasmas is their enhanced plasma chemistry without the need for elevated gas temperatures. This is because the plasma chemistry is driven by the electrons, while the heavy particles remain at low energy. As a result, atmospheric pressure plasmas do not cause thermal damages on the heat-sensitive biological systems such as cells and living tissues leading to the unique interactions with them. This book presents current research in the study of atmospheric pressure plasma, which is applied to biomedical phenomena such as sterilization, cancer cell death, water treatment, killing hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hematological parameters