Gas measurement for air plasma generators

等离子体，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现象，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。大气压等离子体技术可用于化学合成--扰乱空气中的氮和氧分子，产生氮氧化物和臭氧。这些源自空气的活性气体--活性氧和氮物质（RONS）--具有抗菌、生物活性和化学作用。其潜在的工业应用涵盖化学、卫生、农业、食品、生物加工和医疗保健。Fourth State的使命是利用其专利的空气等离子体技术，使RONS的生物化学益处随时随地都可以通过空气和电力获得。（化学式NO -不要与二氧化氮，NO2或一氧化二氮，N2 O混淆）已被科学家称为“奇迹分子”，由于其惊人的重要性，在动物、植物、真菌和微生物中的不同生物学作用。NO几乎由人体中的每个细胞产生，具有广泛的作用，包括抗菌/抗肿瘤作用，控制血流和伤口愈合。这一发现获得了1998年诺贝尔生理学/医学奖。NO通常用作吸入药物，最近被研究作为COVID-19救援疗法。目前，许多基于NO的疗法正在开发中，但传统的NO来源（高压压缩气瓶和各种化学品）的局限性阻碍了其在医疗保健和其他应用中的广泛应用。Fourth State目前向转化研究人员（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体发生器。这些产品为客户提供了一个简单的，（成本）有效的，安全和可持续的NO来源（和/或其他RONS，如果需要）。NOxLab研发产品的用户可以在实验室中快速为其预期的RONS应用建立正确的设置，然后通过ModuNOx OEM解决方案扩展到中试和全面部署。这个与国家物理实验室（NPL）合作的A4 I项目直接建立在之前的合作基础上，旨在对Fourth State产品产生的RONS进行高精度测量。第四州与NPL之间的第一个项目在大流行期间通过恢复衡量（M4 R）计划成功交付-该项目的案例研究最近在NPL的网站上发布。

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.