Adaptive low-temperature plasmas

This paper highlights the uniqueness of low-temperature plasma (LTP), that is its ability to change the chemical composition in situ. An adaptive LTP platform is a plasma device that can adjust the plasma composition to obtain optimal desirable outcomes through its interaction with a target. This approach relies on the ability of measuring the real time response of target to plasma action. In biological applications, feedback consists of the cellular response to plasma immediately after treatment and modifying the composition and power of plasma via a feedback mechanism. Plasma self-adaptation might be feasible due to self-organization and pattern formation when plasma interacts with targets. An adaptive plasma system requires an integration with multi-modal sensors, augmented by artificial intelligence where appropriate. Such adaptive LTP platforms might lead to treatment of biological targets on demand at a dose that is optimized by outcome (e.g. decontamination, disinfection) at the lowest possible cost and smallest environmental impact. In this paper, we explore the possibilities and opportunities for using the adaptive plasma as a therapeutic system.