Characteristics of Portable Air Floating-Electrode Dielectric-Barrier-Discharge Plasmas Used for Biomedicine

In this study, a portable air floating-electrode dielectric-barrier-discharge (FE-DBD) plasma generator has been developed with a weight of less than 200 g and a volume of less than 480 cm 3 . Considering the equivalent impedance of human body (EIHB), an equivalent circuit model is developed that couples the FE-DBD generator and the EIHB module to determine the thickness of the dielectric barrier layers of the plasma generator, taking into account the electrical safety for human body during air discharges. The thermal and optical characteristics of the air discharges are also studied showing stable and thermal safety and abundant reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Furthermore, with a view to biomedical applications of the air FE-DBD plasmas, a dosimetric experimental model using human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells is proposed to simulate the interactions between the air FE-DBD plasmas and the human body. In this model, the cell culture medium works as the floating electrode and is connected to the EIHB module. The LD 50 value, which is the medium lethal dose based on the concept of drug dosage in pharmacy using the FE-DBD plasma source, is measured for a quantitative evaluation of the cytotoxicity after plasma treatment. This study provides a device physical safety and dosage evaluation method for the portable air FE-DBD plasma generator which is helpful for promoting the clinical applications of this type, and even other types of CAP sources.