• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2015.08a
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• pp.56.2-56.2
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• 2015

Nonthermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas and their Applications to Plasma Bioscience and Medicines have been introduced for next generation human healthcare's quantum developments. Various kinds of nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasmas have been introduced and their electron temperature and plasma densities along with reactive oxygen and nitrogen species have been diagnosed and analyzed for biological cell interactions, especially, used in Plasma Bioscience Research Center (PBRC), Korea. Herein, we have also introduced the plasma-initiated ultraviolet photolysis, which might be a generation mechanism for the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) intracellular and extracellular regions inside the liquid when the plasma has been bombarded onto the water. Finally we have investigated the interactions of these RONS with the various cancer cells resulting in apoptotic cell death.

• Current Applied Physics
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1375-1380
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• 2018

Atmospheric-pressure plasma has a great potential in many applications due to its simplicity rather than low pressure plasmas. In material processing, biomedical applications, and many other applications, the input power, gas flow rate, and the geometry of electrode have been mainly considered and studied as important external parameters of atmospheric-pressure plasma control. Besides, since the atmospheric-pressure plasmas are typically generated in an open air, the relative humidity is difficult to control and can change day by day. Therefore, the relative humidity cannot be ignored for plasmas. Thus, in this work, the atmospheric-pressure plasma jet was characterized by changing relative humidity, and it was found that the increase in electron density and OH radicals are due to Penning ionization between helium metastable and water vapors at higher humidity condition.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.367-377
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• 2001

Plasma is generated by electrical discharge. Most plasma generation has been carried out at low-pressure gas typically less than one millionth of atmospheric pressure. Plasmas are in general generated from impact ionization of neutral gas molecules by accelerated electrons. The energy gain of electrons accelerated in an electrical field is proportional to the mean free path. Electrons gain more energy at low-pressure gas and generate plasma easily by ionization of neutrals, because the mean free path is longer. For this reason conventional plasma generation is carried out at low pressures. However, many practical applications require plasmas at high-pressure. In order to avoid the requirement for vacuum pumps, researchers in Korea start to develop plasmas in high-pressure chambers where the pressure is 1 atmosphere or greater. Material processing, environmental protection/restoration and improved energy production efficiency using plasmas are only possible for inexpensive bulk plasmas. We thus generate plasmas by new methods and plan to set foundations for new plasma technologies for $21^{st}$ / century industries. This technological research will play a central role in material processing, environmental and energy production industries.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.20-20
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• 2011

It has been known that, under certain conditions, application of low-temperature atmospheric-pressure plasmas can enhance proliferation of cells. In this study, conditions for optimal cell proliferation were examined for various cells relevant for orthopaedic applications. Plasmas used in our experiments were generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with a helium flow (of approximately 3 litter/min) into ambient air at atmospheric pressure by a 10 kV~20 kHz power supply. Such plasmas were directly applied to a medium, in which cells of interest were cultured. The cells examined in this study were human synoviocytes, rat mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow or adipose tissue, a mouse osteoblastic cell line (MC3T3-E1), a mouse embryonic mesenchymal cell line (C3H-10T1/2), human osteosarcoma cells (HOS), a mouse myoblast cell line (C2C12), and rat Schwann cells. Since cell proliferation can be enhanced even if the cells are not directly exposed to plasmas but cultured in a medium that is pre-treated by plasma application, it is surmised that long-life free radicals generated in the medium by plasma application stimulate cell proliferation if their densities are appropriate. The level of free radical generation in the medium was examined by dROMs tests and correlation between cell proliferation and oxidative stress was observed. Other applications of plasma medicine in orthopaedics, such as plasma modification of artificial bones and wound healing effects by direct plasma application for mouse models, will be also discussed. The work has been done in collaboration with Prof. H. Yoshikawa and his group members at the School of Medicine, Osaka University.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.117-138
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• 2006

Plasmas can be made by electrical discharge on earth. Most of the plasmas on earth have been generated in low pressure environments where the pressure is less than one millionth of the atmospheric pressure. However, there are many plasma applications which require high pressure plasmas. Therefore, scientists start research on plasma generation at high pressure to avoid use of expensive vacuum equipments. Large-volume inexpensive plasmas are needed in the areas of material processing, environmental protection and improvement, efficient energy source and applications, etc. We therefore developed new methods of plasma generations at high pressure and carried out research of applying these plasmas to high tech industries representing 21 century. These research fields will play pivotal roles in material, environmental and energy science and technology in future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.256-256
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• 2011

Using plasmas, hydrophobic surfaces are made on various substances such as polyimide films, filter paper, cotton clothes and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) with hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS) and toluene reagents. Plasmas are easily and rapidly to change surface of hydrophilic materials into hydrophobic. We have also optimized processing time and maximized contact angle for super-hydrophobicity of MWCNT. Contact angles have been calculated by measuring between substance and probe liquid, and total surface free energies are determined by the Owens-Wendt equation. Figure 1 shows the measured contact angles with time and ratio of reagents on MWCNT.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.528-528
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• 2012

Recently, atmospheric pressure plasmas attract lots of interests for the useful applications such as surface modification and bio-medical treatment. In this study, a particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC-MCC) simulation was adopted to investigate the discharge characteristics of a planar micro dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) with a driving frequency from 13.56 MHz to 162.72 MHz and with a gap distance of 80 micrometers. The variation of frequency, in the change in the electron energy probability function (EEPF). Through the relation between the ion trajectories and the frequency, results in the change of EEPFs is achievable with the turning point of frequency mode. Therefore, it is possible to categorize the efficient operation range of DBDs for its applications by controlling the interactions between plasmas and neutral gas for the generation of preferable radicals.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.268-268
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• 2012

Atmospheric pressure microwave induced plasmas are used to excite and ionize chemical species for elemental analysis, for plasma reforming, and for plasma surface treatment. Microwave plasma differs significantly from other plasmas and has several interesting properties. For example, the electron density is higher in microwave plasma than in radio-frequency (RF) or direct current (DC) plasma. Several types of radical species with high density are generated under high electron density, so the reactivity of microwave plasma is expected to be very high [1]. Therefore, useful applications of atmospheric pressure microwave plasmas are expected. The surface characteristics of SUS304 stainless steel are investigated before and after surface modification by microwave plasma under atmospheric pressure conditions. The plasma device was operated by power sources with microwave frequency. We used a device based on a coaxial transmission line resonator (CTLR). The atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) in the case of microwave frequency (880 MHz) used Ar as plasma gas [2]. Typical microwave Pw was 3-10 W. To determine the optimal processing conditions, the surface treatment experiments were performed using various values of Pw (3-10 W), treatment time (5-120 s), and ratios of mixture gas (hydrogen peroxide). Torch-to-sample distance was fixed at the plasma edge point. Plasma treatment of a stainless steel plate significantly affected the wettability, contact angle (CA), and free energy (mJ/$m^2$) of the SUS304 surface. CA and ${\gamma}$ were analyzed. The optimal surface modification parameters to modify were a power of 10 W, a treatment time of 45 s, and a hydrogen peroxide content of 0.6 wt% [3]. Under these processing conditions, a CA of just $9.8^{\circ}$ was obtained. As CA decreased, wettability increased; i.e. the surface changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. From these results, 10 W power and 45 s treatment time are the best values to minimize CA and maximize ${\gamma}$.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.63 no.10
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• pp.1485-1490
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• 2014

$SF_6$ gas has been used for power transformers or gas insulated switchgears, because it has the superior insulation property and the stable structure chemically. It has been, however, one of global warming gases and required to reduce the its amount. Some papers have reported that its amount could be reduced by mixing with other gases, such as $N_2$, $CF_4$, $CO_2$ and $C_4F_8$ and their mixture gases would cause the synergy effect. In this paper, we investigated the characteristics of DC plasmas on $SF_6$ mixture gases with $N_2$ at atmospheric pressure. $N_2$ gas is one of cheap gases and has been reported to show the synergy effect with mixing $SF_6$ gas, even though $N_2$ plasmas have electron-positive characteristics. 38 kinds of $SF_6/N_2$ plasma particles, which consisted of an electron, two positive ions, five negative ions, 30 excitation and vibration particles, were considered in a one dimensional fluid simulation model with capacitively coupled plasma chamber. The results showed that the joule heating of $SF_6/N_2$ plasmas was mainly caused by positive ions, on the other hand electrons acted on holding the $SF_6/N_2$ plasmas stably. The joule heating was strongly generated near the electrodes, which caused the increase of neutral gas temperature within the chamber. The more $N_2$ mixed-ratio increased, the less joule heating was. And the power consumptions by electron and positive ions increased with the increase of $N_2$ mixed-ratio.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.134-138
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• 1993

Wool, silk and nylon 6 fabrics were treated with low-temperature plasma under atmospheric pressure of acetone/argon or helium/argon for 30 and 180 sec, and then dyed with leveling type acid dye, C.I. Acid Red 18 and milling type acid dye, C.I. Acid Blue 83. In spite of short time of the plasma treatment for thirty seconds, the color depth of wool fabrics was increased remarkably with both of the plasma gases, aceton/argon or helium/argon and with the kinds of dyes i.e., levelin type or milling type. But the atmosperic low-temperature plasmas did not increase the depth of silk and nylon 6 fabrics dyed with both of the acid dyes regardless of the teated time and plasma gases. It seems that low-temperature plasma by atmospheric-pressure discharge is effective for improvement of dyeing of wools as is the same way with the low-temperature plasma by glow discharge. The kinds of plasma gases and treated time did not influnce the depth of wool fabric pretreted with the atmosperic low-temperature plasmas.