About
The High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory (HTPL) is a laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota composed of 3 professors, students, researchers and postdocs. HTPL conducts research on several plasma-related topics including materials processing, nanoparticle synthesis, biomedical applications, resource utilization, energy applications and fundamental studies of plasmas.
Plasmas are often referred to as the fourth state of matter, which characterizes a partly or fully ionized gas, in which some or all of the gas atoms have been stripped of some of their electrons. The liberated electrons can easily be accelerated by electric fields, giving them not only energy to ionize further gas atoms but also to dissociate molecules and create a highly reactive gaseous environment that enables many applications.
The impact of plasma-based technologies on human life and society is profound and continues to grow. Today, every single chip or semiconductor device used by humans is produced with numerous plasma processing steps in its fabrication. Plasmas are used to sterilize drinking water, deposit anti-reflection coatings on windows, enhance adhesion properties of plastics for printing and automotive applications, and remove harmful particulates from building air and polluted gas streams of industry.