A design method of flexible porous dielectric barrier discharge devices for biomedical applications

Abstract Flexible cold atmospheric-pressure plasma (CAP) devices hold great promise for biomedical applications, where flexible materials and specialized structures enable secure contact with the body surface and effective delivery of reactive species. However, a fundamental trade-off exists among discharge area, operating voltage, and surface temperature, which limits performance and thermal safety. To address this, we developed a multilayer flexible CAP device with a large discharge area, low surface temperature and operating voltage, tailored for wound treatment and sterilization. A porous silicone layer confines the discharge within an array of holes, with the discharge area and voltage quantitatively linked to hole size and silicone thickness via an equivalent circuit model. Electro-thermal field simulations, based on dielectric barrier discharge energy conversion efficiency, were used to determine the maximum allowable input power under thermal safety constraints. A prototype device demonstrated a 1380 mm 2 discharge area and a maximum surface temperature of 35.1 °C under 5 kV pulsed voltage. In vitro experiments showed >99% inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus after 40 s of plasma exposure. This work presents a generalizable framework for designing high-performance flexible plasma devices with strong potential for wearable biomedical applications.