Atmospheric Microwave Plasma Pencil The plasma pencil facility was produced through collaborations with IBF Electronic

GmbH & Co. KG. The atmospheric microwave plasma pencil operates at 2.45 GHz with a minimum input power of 50 W and gas flow rates of more than 1 lpm. Microwave energy is transported through a coaxial rod and plasma is ignited at its pointed tip. The plasma flames of mixtures of argon with oxygen, nitrogen, or air have a diameter of up to 5 mm and lengths of around 1-2 cm. The lowest temperature attained with the center of the flame is around 60 oC. The plasma pencil is aimed for surface treatments related with biomedical applications. It has already been demonstrated that bond paper becomes superhydrophilic within just a few seconds of treatment of the plasma pencil.