Portable nanosecond pulsed air plasma jet

Lowerature atmospheric pressure plasmas are of great importance in many emerging biomedical and materials processing applications. The redundancy of a vacuum system opens the gateway for highly portable plasma systems, for which air ideally becomes the plasma-forming gas and remote plasma processing is preferred to ensure electrical safety. Typically, the gas temperature observed in air plasma greatly exceeds that suitable for the processing of thermally liable materials; a large plasma-sample distance offers a potential solution but suffers from a diluted downstream plasma chemistry. This Letter reports a highly portable air plasma jet system which delivers enhanced downstream chemistry without compromising the low temperature nature of the discharge, thus forming the basis of a powerful tool for emerging mobile plasma applications.