Gas measurement for air plasma generators

等离子体，即电离气体，是继固体、液体和气体之后的第四种物质状态。太阳、极光和闪电都是自然的例子，而等离子体技术包括先进的硅蚀刻机、空间推进系统和核聚变反应堆。常压等离子体技术可以用于化学合成-扰乱空气中的氮气和氧气分子，以产生氮氧化物和臭氧。这模拟了闪电和大气中的自然过程。这些空气衍生的活性气体--活性氧和氮物种(RON)--具有抗菌、生物活性和化学效应。它们潜在的工业应用范围包括化工、卫生、农业、食品、生物加工和医疗保健。Fourth State的使命是利用其获得专利的空气等离子体技术，通过空气和电力，随时随地获得RON的生化益处。其中一种由空气等离子体产生的RON，一氧化氮(化学式NO-不要与二氧化氮、NO2或一氧化二氮，N2O混淆)因其在动物、植物、真菌和微生物中出人意料的重要、多样化的生物作用而被科学家称为“奇迹分子”。人体内几乎每一个细胞都会产生NO，具有广泛的作用，包括抗菌/抗肿瘤、控制血液流动和伤口愈合。这一发现被授予1998年诺贝尔生理学/医学奖。一氧化氮通常被用作吸入性药物，最近被研究用作新冠肺炎的抢救疗法。许多基于NO的疗法目前正在开发中，但传统NO来源-高压压缩气瓶和各种化学品-的局限性阻碍了在医疗保健和其他应用中的广泛使用。第四州目前向翻译研究人员(NOxLab研发产品)和第三方集成商/OEM(ModuNOx OEM解决方案)销售其便携式空气等离子发生器。这些产品为客户提供了一种简单、(成本)有效、安全和可持续的NO来源(和/或如果需要的话，还可以提供其他RON)。NOxLab研发产品的用户在通过ModuNOx OEM解决方案扩大到试点和全面部署之前，可以在实验室中快速为他们预期的RON应用建立正确的设置。这个与国家物理实验室(NPL)的A4I项目直接建立在之前的合作基础上，旨在高精度测量第四州的产品产生的RON。在大流行病期间，第四个国家与不良贷款国之间的第一个项目通过复苏衡量方案成功交付--最近在不良贷款方网站上公布了关于该项目的案例研究。

Plasma, ionised gas, is the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid and gas. The sun, the aurora and lightning are all natural examples, while plasma technologies include advanced silicon etching machines, space propulsion systems and nuclear fusion reactors.Atmospheric pressure plasma technologies can be used for chemical synthesis - scrambling molecules of nitrogen and oxygen in air, to produce nitrogen oxides and ozone. This mimics natural processes in lightning strikes and the atmosphere.These air-derived reactive gases - reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) - have antimicrobial, bioactive and chemical effects. Their potential industrial applications span chemicals, hygiene, agriculture, food, bioprocesses and healthcare. Fourth State's mission is to make the biochemical benefits of RONS accessible - anywhere, anytime - with just air and electricity, using its patented Air Plasma technology.One of the RONS generated by air-plasma, nitric oxide (chemical formula NO - not to be confused with nitrogen dioxide, NO2, or nitrous oxide, N2O) has been called a "miracle molecule" by scientists, due to its surprisingly important, diverse biological roles in animals, plants, fungi and microbes. NO is produced by almost every cell in the human body for a wide range of effects, including antimicrobial/anti-tumour action, control of blood flow and wound healing. Its discovery was awarded the 1998 Nobel prize in Physiology/Medicine. NO is used routinely as an inhaled drug, and was recently investigated as a COVID-19 rescue therapy. Numerous NO-based therapies are currently in development, but the limitations of conventional sources of NO - high pressure compressed gas cylinders and various chemicals - are a barrier to widespread use in healthcare and other applications.Fourth State currently sells its portable air plasma generators to translational researchers (NOxLab R&D products) and third party integrators/OEMs (ModuNOx OEM solutions). These products provide customers with an easy, (cost-)effective, safe and sustainable source of NO (and/or other RONS if desired). Users of NOxLab R&D products can quickly establish correct settings for their intended RONS application in a laboratory, before scaling up to pilot- and full-scale deployment through ModuNOx OEM solutions.This A4I project with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) builds directly on previous collaborations, aimed at high-precision measurement of RONS generated by Fourth State's products. The first project between Fourth State and NPL was successfully delivered during the pandemic, through the Measurement for Recovery (M4R) programme - a case study on this project was recently published on NPL's website.