Dynamics of flow in albumin solution treated by low-temperature atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet

Abstract

Dynamics of albumin agglomeration and dissolution induced by a helium plasma jet using the Schlieren visualization technique were demonstrated. The Schlieren technique enabled us to visualize the plasma-induced agglomeration of albumin on the albumin solution and dissolution from the agglomerate. Through the dissolution, a high-density albumin region moved downward, forming downward flows. During the plasma treatment, the downward flows were observed with a flow velocity of around 0.2 mm/s, while the flow velocity was 0.7 mm/s–0.9 mm/s without the plasma treatment. It was found that the plasma treatment decelerates the downward flows.