Introduction

In ancient Greek, the word ‘plasma’ meant ‘to create’. The word is still aptly applied centuries later, with its original intended meaning, to the ionization of gas. With regions of high voltages, gas ions can be ‘created’ out of the passing neutral gas atoms as they lose electrons.

Ever remember the last time you caught sight of a lightning bolt in a rainstorm? That kind of plasma is called hot plasma. However, researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Research (INP Greifswald), the Greifswald Medical University (Universitätmedizin Greifswald), and the Berlin Charity Medical University (Charité Universitätmedizin Berlin) in Germany have discovered helpful applications of cold plasma – the resultant gaseous state of matter when a gas is ionized at a high voltage.

While hot plasma burns, cold plasma does not! In fact, cold plasma comprises reactive gaseous species that attack various bacteria to differing degrees, depending on bacteria species – some fatally. This novel technology is already being used for sterilization in food manufacturing in the United States (a technique pioneered by Purdue University researchers) and in treating chronic open wounds in Germany (covered by German newsmedia body Deutsche Welle in 2015). Since 2009, research has been ongoing (kickstarted with the project ZIK-Plasmatis) on the efficacy of cold plasma medicine on the human body, with no known adverse effects to date.

We decided to produce cold, atmospheric plasma because of its varied applications useful to human comfort and living – and because it’s not widely known about.

What sets us apart is a significant reduction in cost. Moreover, we bring this technology to life here in the Nanyang Technological University Physics Labs in Singapore, where utilizing cold plasma for medical purposes – or sterilization purposes for that matter – is largely uncharted terrain.

Thus, we termed ourselves the Plasmanians, a name characterized by the nature of our project. We are Loke Kum Yin, Lee Shu Hui, and Bryan Kiang.

In this blog, we document our progress and findings and struggles. Want to test out this technology on a chronic skin infection your loved one may suffer from? Soon, any cautious layperson could build this marvelous device right in their homes, at reasonable cost.

From the Year 1&2 lab with love, presenting to you the Plasma Calamus.