Correlated Electrical and Optical Studies of Hybrid Argon Gas-Water Plasmas and their Application to Tooth Whitening

Abstract

Radio frequency (RF) driven hybrid gaswater plasma for tooth whitening was developed and the plasma chemical reactions with de-ionized (DI) water were studied. Plasma operating conditions, such as RF input power and argon flow rate were correlated with plasma lengths. The operation of hybrid gaswater plasma changed both the electrical conductivity and pH concentration of the DI water. OH and H2O2 densities were measured to determine the dominant species generated by plasma. The major chemical reaction pathways and known rate constants are given in support of the analysis of major chemical reaction pathways. Finally, we demonstrated that the hybrid gaswater configuration achieved porcine tooth whitening.