Development and optimization of techniques and design parameters for the engineering of atmospheric pressure plasma devices for biomedical applications and plasma medicine

In the last decades, the possibility to generate plasma at atmospheric pressure gave rise to a new emerging field called plasma medicine; it deals with the application of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) or plasma-activated solutions on or in the human body for therapeutic effects. Thanks to a blend of synergic biologically active agents and biocompatible temperatures, different CAP sources were successfully employed in many different biomedical applications such as dentistry, dermatology, wound healing, cancer treatment, blood coagulation, etc.… Despite their effectiveness has been verified in the above-mentioned biomedical applications, over the years, researchers throughout the world described numerous CAP sources which are still laboratory devices not optimized for the specific application. In this perspective, the aim of this dissertation was the development and the optimization of techniques and design parameters for the engineering of CAP sources for different biomedical applications and plasma medicine among which cancer treatment, dentistry and bioaerosol decontamination. In the first section, the discharge electrical parameters, the behavior of the plasma streamers and the liquid and the gas phase chemistry of a multiwire device for the treatment of liquids were performed. Moreover, two different plasma-activated liquids were used for the treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer cells and fibroblasts to assess their selectivity. In the second section, in accordance with the most important standard regulations for medical devices, were reported the realization steps of a Plasma Gun device easy to handle and expected to be mounted on a tabletop device that could be used for dental clinical applications. In the third section, in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, were reported the first steps for the design, realization, and optimization of a dielectric barrier discharge source suitable for the treatment of different types of bioaerosol.