In this chat, I answer 4 big questions about plasma physics inspired by a thoughtful viewer comment:

1. Should plasma appear on phase diagrams?

2. Does plasma move like a gas — or something else entirely?

3. What elements and compounds are most interesting to turn into plasma?

4. Are transient luminous events like sprites and blue jets scientifically important?

Plasma is often called the fourth state of matter, but that description oversimplifies what’s really happening. Once ionization begins, electromagnetic forces, charged particles, and collective effects fundamentally change how matter behaves.

As a PhD in bioengineering and someone who works with atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma for medicine, environmental remediation, and PFAS destruction, I break down both the physics and what I’ve seen firsthand in the lab.

If you’re curious about plasma physics, ionized gases, lightning phenomena, or how plasma is used in industry — this deep dive is for you.

How does science really get funded in the United States?

In this episode, I break down:

• How federal agencies allocate research funding

• What reviewers actually look for

• The difference between academic and industry incentives

• Why “high-risk, high-reward” is more nuanced than it sounds

• How funding shapes the direction of scientific research

Having spent over a decade as a research professor at Drexel University and now running an R&D company focused on atmospheric pressure plasma systems, I’ve seen both sides of the system.

This is a calm, honest conversation about how science funding really works — and why understanding incentives matters.

If you’re a graduate student, engineer, founder, or just curious about how research gets supported, this episode is for you.

PFAS are often called “forever chemicals.” But what does that really mean?

In this episode, I break down PFAS from an engineering perspective:

• Why carbon-fluorine bonds are so difficult to break

• The difference between removal and destruction

• Why filtration is not the same as elimination

• What incineration, electrochemistry, and plasma actually do

• Where the real technical challenges lie

This is not a hype video. It’s a grounded look at the physics, chemistry, and systems engineering behind PFAS remediation.

I have a PhD in bioengineering and spent over a decade as a research professor before founding an R&D company focused on atmospheric pressure plasma systems for medical and environmental applications.

If you want deeper technical conversations — without flashy edits — this channel is for you.

Let me know what topic you’d like to see next.

I get asked this a lot: "Greg, with your background, why didn't you just go to Medical School?"

In this video, I’m sharing the personal reason I chose the lab over the clinic. It comes down to one thing: Scale. I wanted to build the technologies that would empower doctors to heal things we previously thought were "unhealable."

If you’re a student or just curious about the path of a scientist, this one is for you. No jargon, no gatekeeping—just my journey through the world of bioengineering.

If you had to choose between treating one person or inventing a tool for everyone, which would you pick? Let’s talk in the comments.

#Bioengineering #MedSchool #CareerAdvice #ScienceLife #PhD #GregFridman

Plasma isn’t just for rockets or fusion research — it’s used to treat fabrics for clothing every day.

In this episode, I explain how atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma modifies textile fibers at the nanometer scale to improve dyeing, adhesion, antimicrobial performance, and moisture wicking — all without heat damage or chemical baths.

We cover:

• Surface activation

• Nano-scale etching

• Functional group introduction

• Industrial roll-to-roll plasma systems

• Sustainability implications

Plasma treatment allows precise surface modification without affecting the bulk material — one of the most elegant examples of electron-driven chemistry in manufacturing.

If you’d like deeper dives into plasma polymerization, antimicrobial textiles, or PFAS-free water repellency, let me know in the comments.

— Greg Fridman

PhD | Atmospheric Plasma Applications

What if the secret to safer, fresher food wasn't a new chemical, but just a different kind of water?

We see plasma weapons everywhere in gaming—especially in the Final Fantasy universe—but how would they work in our world? In this video, we analyze the energy requirements, magnetic containment, and heat management needed to turn the 4th state of matter into a tactical tool.

What is plasma? Most people think of blood or TV screens, but in physics, plasma is a high-energy "soup" of charged particles. From lightning bolts to the surface of the Sun, we explore the science behind the most common state of matter in the cosmos.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with three cohorts of seniors at Bexley High School in Columbus, OH, about my journey in plasma physics and engineering. While we talked a lot about science, the most important part of the day was sharing the "human" side of a technical career.

What if I told you there’s a molecule inside you right now acting as a microscopic assassin? In this video, we explore the strange world of Peroxynitrite.