Plasma Patch Surface Barrier Discharge for Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Conditions​

Overview

The Plasma Patch is a device that generates cold plasma for treatment of inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, shingles, etc. By applying a large AC voltage at kHz ranges to the patterned silver, the patch experiences surface barrier discharge, a process that ionizes atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen and creates plasma. The device currently operates using the voltage amplifier and function generator in the CLIPSE laboratory, but the goal is to make the device portable, or operate on a portable source.

Objectives

-Develop an electrical circuit capable of the surface barrier discharge that guides the operation of the Plasma Patch
-> Generate a 1kV-1.4kV sinusoidal wave oscillating between 5kHz and 20kHz

-Develop packaging options to house the Plasma Patch and/or the powering circuit

-Perform consumer research and collect consumer feedback

-Construct safety fail safes in case of damage

Approach

-Create an oscillator circuit to perform DC to AC conversion at a specified frequency
-> Utilized a Colpitts Oscillator, which uses the values of two capacitors and an inductor to adjust the frequency of oscillation and the voltage at output

-Construct a transformer to boost the 15V output of the oscillator to the 1.2kV needed for the patch
-> A turns ratio of 80:1 gives the necessary gain. With six primary windings and 480 secondary windings it also doesn’t overload the ferrite core with a high magnetic flux density

-Conduct surveys of individual students to collect and analyze data pertaining to their age, race, and gender, as well as more detailed questions about their confidence and understanding of the patch, what skin conditions they’ve had, and what treatments they have used for them

-Create a spacer and shell to house the patch using printed molds and different gels/materials, then test the ability to generate the plasma in a controlled environment

Outcomes

-Electrical oscillator and transformer both performed correctly in under load testing generating a 8kHz sine wave and showing a gain of 80:1 at the output of the transformer.

-Survey indicated a desire to see the usage of the patch in a non-lab portable setting while also providing insight into different ideas that people had about the usage and functionality of the patch

-Spacers of every type were able to generate the plasma while also providing the 2 mm spacing that adds safety to the device