Dr. Katharina Stapelmann
Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering
North Carolina State University

Low-temperature non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure offer unique properties making them suitable for treatment of humans, water, and air. They can be operated at room temperature and are a source of various reactive species, such as ozone, nitric oxide, atomic oxygen. The research field plasma medicine has grown during the last years, opening new application fields of plasmas, e.g. wound healing, treatment of various skin diseases, or cancer treatment. The seminar talk will give an impression of the various application fields, as well as an introduction to the modes of action of plasma. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the model cysteine is introduced as a method to fingerprint plasma discharges by their chemical output. Other emerging application fields, i.e. air purification with plasma and the treatment of waste water are introduced.