In this blog post, we’ll explore the concept of plasma, its various applications, and its future potential.
When people hear “nuclear engineering,” most assume it means the same thing as “nuclear power engineering” and often mistakenly believe it is a field that focuses solely on nuclear (fission) power generation. While it is true that nuclear power is an important area of study in nuclear engineering, the discipline also covers a wide range of other fields, such as nuclear fusion, plasma, and radiation. Among these, I would like to introduce plasma, which interests me the most.
Simply put, plasma is the fourth state of matter, consisting of neutral and charged particles. Just as water turns into steam when heated, a gas enters the plasma state when it receives enough energy to become ionized. It is known that most of the matter in the universe exists in a plasma state. Plasma is classified in various ways depending on temperature and pressure, and on Earth, low-pressure, ambient-pressure, and low-temperature plasmas are primarily utilized in a wide range of fields. The most common examples of plasma we encounter in our daily lives are fluorescent lights and neon signs. Beyond these, plasma is utilized in a vast array of other fields.
Plasma is even used in the process of bonding shoe soles. In Europe, as environmental regulations have tightened, the use of certain chemical adhesives for bonding sneaker soles has been restricted; however, plasma surface treatment allows for enhanced adhesion while meeting environmental standards. Companies that have actively adopted this technology have been able to establish eco-friendly manufacturing processes and secure a competitive edge in the global market.
Plasma is used very extensively across society, including in waste treatment, automotive exhaust treatment, food sterilization and cleaning, the medical field, surface treatment of engineering materials, nanomaterial processing, and nuclear fusion power generation.
Currently, surface treatment technologies for engineering materials have advanced significantly and are widely used in actual industrial settings. In particular, they enable the highly precise execution of core processes—such as thin-film deposition, etching, and surface treatment—on materials with extremely fine structures, such as semiconductors.
There are also many fields where research is actively underway, even though they have not yet been commercialized. A prime example is waste treatment using plasma torches. Since plasma torches can treat waste at extremely high temperatures, they are being researched as a technology capable of reducing pollutant emissions compared to conventional incineration methods and reliably processing a variety of waste materials. Furthermore, the possibility of generating electricity by utilizing the heat generated during the waste treatment process has also been proposed. There have been instances of plasma waste treatment facilities operating in South Korea, but commercialization was limited due to high operating costs and economic feasibility issues. Currently, research is ongoing to improve the efficiency of plasma torches and ensure their economic viability.
Since plasma contains ions and electrons, it can generate chemically active species such as OH, NO, and O, thereby producing a sterilizing effect. Research indicates that washing food with plasma can effectively remove microorganisms, thereby helping to improve shelf life and food safety. In the logistics and storage industries, even a one-day extension of storage time can yield significant economic benefits, making this technology highly significant. Eggs, in particular, require washing due to the risk of fecal contamination; however, washing them with water can damage their protective coating, potentially reducing their shelf life. Consequently, contactless sterilization technology using plasma is being researched as an alternative solution to these problems. Furthermore, research findings indicate that plasma treatment of seeds can have a positive effect on germination rates and plant growth.
Applications in the medical field are also very intriguing. Low-temperature plasma is being actively researched in various medical fields, such as wound healing, infection control, and tissue regeneration, and is already being utilized in some treatments. Furthermore, research is ongoing into plasma-based treatments for disc disorders and cancer. As such, plasma is attracting significant attention as a technology that offers new possibilities for treating intractable diseases.
Students can gain a deeper understanding of plasma by taking courses such as “Industrial Plasma Engineering,” “Fundamentals of Plasma,” and “Plasma Experiments,” which are offered by the Department of Nuclear Engineering.
