Planning I/UCRC Drexel University: Center for High Pressure Plasma Energy, Agriculture, and Biomedical Technologies (PEAB)

低温非平衡等离子体（LTP）科学为许多现代工业，如微电子和材料制造提供了基础技术。等离子体是电离的气体，可以用激发电子的电场激活。 通过与分子的电子碰撞，LTP能够有效地产生化学反应气体，这反过来又通过创建新的化合物或从表面添加/移除材料来创建新的功能。 等离子体产生电子学的最新突破使得开发新的系统以在大气压和更高压力（甚至在液体中）下拓宽LTP应用领域以利用这种化学反应性成为可能。 这种新能力激发了食品加工、农业、燃料转化医疗、水处理和制药等行业应用LTP提高加工效率或创造新工艺的兴趣。 由于对LTP应用的基本原理的科学理解有限，LTP在这些行业中用于先进技术的应用受到限制。德雷克塞尔大学和密歇根大学正计划建立一个国家科学基金会工业/大学合作研究中心（I/UCRC），重点是利用LTP的化学活化能力来开发新技术。 该中心的学术研究人员将研究LTP在能源，环境修复，水处理，食品安全和加工以及医疗和生物工程领域的基本科学基础。 通过与该中心的工业成员合作，这些基本原则将转化为改进和创造新技术，以解决食品-水-能源关系并改善人类健康。 除了有助于使工业能够满足关键的社会需求外，这些技术进步还将创造经济机会。

Low Temperature non-equilibrium Plasma (LTP) science provides a base technology on which many modern industries, such as microelectronics and materials fabrication, have been built. Plasmas are ionized gases which can be activated with electric fields which energize electrons. Through electron collisions with molecules, LTPs are able to efficiently generate chemically reactive gases, which in turn create new functionality through creating new compounds or adding/removing material from surfaces. Recent breakthroughs in plasma-generating electronics have made it possible to develop novel systems to widen the area of LTP applications at atmospheric and higher pressures (even in liquids) to utilize this chemical reactivity. This new ability has stimulated the interest of industries such as food processing, agriculture, fuel conversion medical, water treatment, and pharmaceutical industries to apply LTPs to improve the efficiency of processing or create new processes. The use of LTPs in these industries for advanced technologies is now restricted by limited scientific understanding of the fundamental underpinnings of the applications.Drexel University and the University of Michigan are planning to establish a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) that focuses on leveraging the chemical activation power of LTPs to new technologies. The academic researchers in the Center will investigate the fundamental scientific basis of LTPs as used in the energy, environmental remediation, water treatment, food safety and processing, and medical and bioengineering sectors. Through collaboration with industrial members of the Center, these fundamental principles will be translated into improving and creating new technologies to address the food-water-energy nexus and to improve human health. In addition to helping to enable industry to address critical societal needs, these improvements in technology will create economic opportunities.