The Drexel Plasma Institute was formed in 2002 to stimulate and coordinate research projects related to plasma and other modern high energy engineering techniques.

Today the DPI already became an active multidisciplinary organization involving 23 faculty members from 6 Engineering Departments working in close collaboration with School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Plasma is the fourth and most energetic state of matter, where atoms and molecules are transformed at least partially into freely moving charged particles - electrons and ions. Plasma is not only most energetic, but also most "magic" and challenging for researches state of matter. Temperature of the charged particles in plasma can be so high, that their collisions can result in thermonuclear reactions! Plasmas occur naturally and comprises the majority of the universe encompassing among other phenomena - the solar corona, solar wind, nebula, earth's ionosphere, aurora borealis and lightning. Plasma generation and stabilization in laboratory and in industrial devices is not easy, but very promising for a lot of modern applications, including thermonuclear synthesis, electronics, lasers and many others. Most of your computer hardware is made based on plasma technologies, and also do not forget about very large and thin TV plasma screens which you are planning tobuy soon!

Plasma projects in College of Engineering are coordinated in the Drexel Plasma Institute. Spectrum of the plasma research projects is really wide - from fundamental analysis of non-equilibrium transitional and micro- discharges, performed by Professor B. Farouk to very practical aspects of direct-current arc, and radio frequency/induction-coupled plasma by Professor R. Knight and Mr. D. Doss, as well as hydrogen production and fuel conversion, where Professors A. Fridman and A. Gutsol are working with Professor Y.Cho. Fundamental and applied plasma investigation in the Drexel Plasma Institute is spread from etching, sputtering and CVD chamber cleaning in electronics (developed in particular in Department of Chemical Engineering) to treatment of bio-materials, bio-printing and tissue engineering, where Professor G.Friedman is making essential contribution. Last but not least, we should mention plasma research activity in nano- and bio-nano-technologies, where DPI is strongly supported by Professor Yuri Gogotsi as well as specialists from School of Biomedical Engineering. Special interest is paid today in this direction to plasma production of different nano-structures, including nano-spheres and carbon nano-tubes, to their characterization and special unique applications.

In particular, plasma technology is proved to be very effective in solving environmental control problems, especially related to water and air purification. Non-equilibrium plasma, where room temperature gas mysteriously co-exist with extremely hot electrons of about 20,000 degrees, is able to generate hydroxyl radicals, atomic oxygen and ozone effective in the water and air cleaning. Drexel Plasma Institute leads multi-institutional efforts to clean exhaust gases of paper and wood industries from dangerous volatile organic compounds. The scientific team led by Drexel includes in particular University of Illinois at Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy. New special electric discharges were created to provide the effective air cleaning, including the most powerful in the world pulsed corona discharge especially mounted on a trailer to perform pilot tests at industrial sites. The "Plasma Lab on Weals" is now Louisiana to make all necessary environmental measurements and clean exhaust gases of the Georgia Pacific Inc.

Although we are a pretty young institution and most of our research plans are related to numerous proposals recently submitted to different agencies, we already have an impressive list of 11 currently ongoing plasma projects with total funding this academic year of about $1.5 million.

We are confident that our Institute will be successful in innovative plasma and other modern high energy research activities, will attract significant funding for the Drexel University, and become nationally and internationally recognized center for plasma studies.

A. Fridman

People who make plasma what it is today:

Irving Langmuir
(1881-1957)
Plasma Surface
Interaction
Nobel Prize 1932

Peter Debye
(1884-1966)
Plasma Physics
and Chemistry
Nobel Prize 1936

Edward Appleton
(1892-1965)
Ionosphere
Plasma
Nobel Prize 1947

Hannes Alfven
(1908-1995)
Plasma Magneto-
Hydrodynamics
Nobel Prize 1970