Chat with Greg Fridman

Gregory Fridman

I'm Greg Fridman, a PhD in Bioengineering and an expert in non-equilibrium plasmas. This channel is a space for direct chats about the things that actually matter: the future of biotech, the fascinating physics of plasmas, and the unfiltered reality of the scientific life. No jargon, no gatekeeping—just the science. Subscribe to join the conversation as we explore how bioengineering is reshaping our world and what it’s really like to work at the edge of discovery.

  1. 20h ago

    Can Plasma Work Without Chemicals? Not Really. It Makes Its Own.

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma work without chemicals? I keep talking about reactive this and reactive that, so it's a fair question. Short answer: you don't need to add any chemicals. Plasma makes its own. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 What do I actually do for work? 00:06 Can plasma work without chemicals? (I keep saying "reactive species") 00:30 My job: atmospheric pressure plasma chemist 00:49 To make plasma you need gas (like air) and electricity. Nothing else. 01:20 The trick: it's not exactly chemical-free 01:27 Air is oxygen, nitrogen, water, plus trace gases like methane and hydrogen sulfide 01:42 And whatever is already on the surface you're treating 01:48 Basics: O₂, N₂, and H₂O are chemicals 02:03 Plasma ionizes them and rips them apart 02:23 Nitrogen + oxygen → nitrogen oxides 02:29 Atomic oxygen + O₂ → ozone 02:38 Water → OH radical, super reactive 02:48 Tons of reactive chemistry without adding anything 02:58 Turn plasma off and most of it disappears in a fraction of a second 03:26 OH goes first. Ozone and hydrogen peroxide linger. Peroxynitrite turns into nitric acid within minutes. 03:47 Adding chemistry on purpose 03:53 Without additives, plasma is oxidative enough to sterilize an open wound 04:02 With additives: a company in Ireland disinfects the wound, then deposits a polymer bandage with plasma 04:37 Where "no added chemicals" really matters 04:46 Food disinfection and medical device disinfection 04:55 Far from the supply chain, no bleach? Plasma is just electricity. 05:04 Solar panel + plasma: disinfect wounds, water, or vegetables in the field, or run it fast on a conveyor 05:25 So: no added chemicals? Yes. 05:33 My job is tailoring the chemicals plasma generates to each application 05:51 Can plasma work without chemicals? Not really. Plasma makes chemicals. If you work in disinfection, food safety, field medicine, or surface processing, this is the episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #PlasmaChemistry #Disinfection #FoodSafety #WoundCare #OffGrid #ReactiveSpecies

    Can Plasma Work Without Chemicals? Not Really. It Makes Its Own.

  2. 2d ago

    Can Plasma Weld Metal? More Than You Know (Especially in Space)

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma weld metal? More than you know. Most welding you've seen is already plasma. The interesting part is what happens when you try it in space. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Can plasma weld metal? More than you know. 00:06 Most welding people know is plasma: a thermal arc between electrode and workpiece 00:28 Other kinds of welding: friction welding and more 00:37 Plasma in novel applications 00:49 My Texas A&M colleagues drill into rock with thermal plasma 01:03 Traditional hot plasma welding: boring, but works really well 01:11 Micro-welding: dissimilar metals, very thin metals, metals to non-metals 01:32 Glue people would argue gluing is chemical welding 01:47 The message: even a "boring" topic merits PhDs, new companies, and new products 02:05 SpaceX is all welded together 02:13 Manufacturing in space changes everything 02:17 You can't just put your TIG welder on a rocket 02:31 The Soviets, 1969: electron beam welding in space 02:48 The coolest thing I learned recently: cold welding in vacuum 02:59 Two perfectly clean, perfectly flat plates touch and fuse. No heat, no pressure. 03:15 Joining is easy. Getting the surfaces clean and flat is the hard part. 03:40 Plasma prepares the surface 03:58 Low-power cold plasma in vacuum (plus additives) removes oxides, oils, and contaminants 04:16 Welding in space is the frontier of space manufacturing 04:29 Microgravity is weird physics 04:33 Shielding gas blows molten metal all over the place 04:43 Metal particles get charged. On Earth gravity pulls them down. In space it doesn't. 05:05 We need new welding techniques for everything we'll build on Mars and beyond 05:21 Wrap-up If you work in welding, aerospace, space manufacturing, or materials joining, this is the episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #Welding #SpaceManufacturing #ColdWelding #Aerospace #Manufacturing #MaterialsScience

    Can Plasma Weld Metal? More Than You Know (Especially in Space)

  3. 4d ago

    Can Plasma Make Water Safe to Drink? Yes. So Why Isn't It Under Your Sink?

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: if plasma can make water safer to drink, why isn't it under your sink right now? Short answer: plasma does things almost nothing else can, including destroying PFAS. It also creates byproducts you don't want to drink. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 If plasma can clean water, why isn't it under your sink? 00:11 Can it clean your water? Yes. 00:15 Solar panel + cheap ozone generator + bubbles = oxidized bacteria and contaminants 00:37 Stronger plasmas destroy what filters and chlorine can't 00:53 PFAS: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the "forever chemicals" 01:03 Plasma has been shown to destroy PFAS in water, not just filter and store it 01:16 One of EPA's top recommended methods for PFAS: granular activated carbon (GAC) 01:34 You concentrate the toxic chemicals on GAC. Then what? Landfill. 01:45 It leaches back into groundwater, and you buy more GAC forever 01:56 Incineration? Very few facilities can burn PFAS without releasing it into the air 02:18 Plasma has been demonstrated to destroy PFAS on spent GAC 02:26 So why isn't plasma in your home? 02:38 You don't know what's in your source water 02:43 Trace bromine + plasma = bromate, which is toxic 02:53 Plasma also makes nitrates. You don't want to drink those either. 03:01 Plasma is part of the solution, not the whole thing 03:07 Potable water treatment has to be a holistic, multi-step process 03:38 Can plasma make water safer? Yes, and it can do things few other technologies can 03:47 Lots of engineering work before it shows up in your kitchen 03:55 Go to school, study plasma, become one of us If you work in water treatment, PFAS remediation, utilities, or environmental regulation, this is the map episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #PFAS #ForeverChemicals #WaterTreatment #DrinkingWater #GAC #EnvironmentalEngineering

    Can Plasma Make Water Safe to Drink? Yes. So Why Isn't It Under Your Sink?

  4. Oct 17

    Can Plasma Fix the Economy? Make Me Funnier? (Gloriously Dumb, Round 5)

    Round 5 of the Gloriously Dumb series. I asked AI to pretend it's a YouTuber and ask me the dumbest "Can Plasma?" questions it could think of. Today's category: Existential & Absurd. Five questions. One of them is actually a yes, and it's a big one. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 AI pretends to be a YouTuber and asks me gloriously dumb questions 00:14 Round 5: Existential & Absurd, five questions 00:26 Q1: Can plasma make me funnier? No. Certainly doesn't work for me. 00:43 Q2: Can plasma fix the economy? Actually, yes. 00:52 Fusion reactors are plasma 01:19 Imagine a $30,000 to $50,000 reactor built into your house 01:30 All electricity in that house, free forever 01:34 Charge your car once every 10 years 01:53 Imagine an economy where electricity is free 02:02 Q3: Can plasma end traffic? 02:09 Our plasma system for removing and redepositing road markings 02:20 Scarifiers leave "ghost markings" that confuse autonomous vehicles 02:44 Better road markings, yes. End traffic, no. 02:51 Q4: Can plasma make Mondays better? Only if you watch this channel every Monday. 03:01 Q5: Can plasma replace my morning alarm? Plasma-ball alarm clocks exist. So, yes. 03:20 Send me your questions in the comments If you liked the earlier rounds (Food & Kitchen, Personal & Grooming, Animals, Household & Random), this is the next one. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #GloriouslyDumb #PlasmaScience #Fusion #AI #AutonomousVehicles #SciComm

    Can Plasma Fix the Economy? Make Me Funnier? (Gloriously Dumb, Round 5)

  5. Oct 15

    Should You Get a PhD in 2026? If You're Asking, the Answer Is No.

    The question I get constantly on LinkedIn and from high school and undergrad students: should I get a PhD? It's 2026. If you're asking me, my answer is no. Because you asked. Here's the long version, from someone who has one and doesn't regret it. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Should I get a PhD? It's 2026. 00:21 My answer: no. Because you asked. 00:48 The 3 questions: why do you want it, what will you do with it, will you use it? 01:26 What's in this video 02:22 Skills vs credentials 02:41 $50 online doctorate (or send me $20 and I'll print you one) 03:12 A PhD trains you deep and narrow. Real-world problems are broad. 03:38 25 years on one type of plasma, and everything I don't do 04:11 Industry calls PhDs to solve the tiny pin that changes the whole machine 04:50 Literature review, rigor, data analysis: all learnable on the job 05:49 How I literally fell into a PhD 06:01 Computer science undergrad, late-90s front-end consultant 06:20 The dot-com bubble burst. I lost my job. 06:33 A master's in bioengineering, as far from computers as possible 07:04 I loved it. PhD took 6 years. My mentors had to push me out. 07:47 Opportunity cost: an $18,750 per year grad stipend 08:42 6 years of industry experience is huge in your 20s 08:54 In fast-moving fields, a PhD can make your knowledge dated 09:11 The Pascal story 10:00 What actually predicts success 10:51 VCs and hiring managers care about your portfolio, not your diploma 11:25 My PhD is a side effect of the goal, not the goal 11:39 Curiosity, execution, resilience. No program teaches those. 11:59 Structural issues in academia 12:11 PhD programs are designed to produce professors. They're oversupplied. 12:56 Academic research is incentivized toward publishing 13:16 100+ papers. A dozen products. Zero on a Home Depot shelf (yet). 13:52 The advisor-student dynamic 14:16 I had 7 advisors, which let me play the power dynamics 14:37 A bad advisor can waste 5 years of your life 14:55 If you ask me, no 15:05 Funny story: asking my dad if I should get married 15:34 The gatekeeping argument 15:57 Open access papers, YouTube, Coursera, AI 16:50 Top employers hire self-taught scientists 17:21 Bring a working prototype to your interview 17:29 At pitch events, nobody cares about the PhD next to the 20-year-old with the cool product 17:53 The exception: if your calling is to teach as a university professor 18:28 Quotes about PhDs, and my reactions 21:30 The one I agree with: a PhD teaches you how to question 21:56 You can learn that on your own too If you're a high schooler, undergrad, career changer, or a parent of one, watch this before you apply. 🔔 Subscribe: @gregfridman #PhD #GradSchool #Careers #Academia #STEM #Entrepreneurship #HigherEducation #Science

    Should You Get a PhD in 2026? If You're Asking, the Answer Is No.

  6. Oct 13

    Can Plasma Stop Metal From Rusting? Yes. It Can Also Make It Rust Faster.

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma stop metal from rusting? Yes, in a few ways. But air plasma is a strong oxidizer, so it can also make rust worse. Three parts: plasma as a coating tool, plasma for growing protective layers, and the catch. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question: can plasma stop rust? 00:04 Three topics: coating deposition, surface prep, and the catch 00:25 Plasma to stop rust 00:32 Master's days: the lab next door had a plasma thermal spray tool 00:46 His party trick: feed zinc wire into a thermal plasma torch, spray it onto pencils 00:56 No burning, no paint peeling 01:04 Plasma deposits all sorts of protective coatings onto metals. Works like a charm. 01:19 The more interesting approach: grow the protection from the metal itself 01:24 Aluminum, titanium, and other metals in oxygen-containing plasma 01:34 Oxidize aluminum into a thick aluminum oxide (ceramic) layer 01:49 Non-conductive, and it won't rust 01:55 Iron oxide is rust. Aluminum oxide is ceramic. 02:11 The catch: air plasma is a strong oxidizer 02:21 Use air plasma on the wrong metal and you can increase rust 02:28 Story: our "aging box" 02:37 A chamber with a thermal plasma torch on top 02:44 Multiple powder, gas, and liquid feeds 02:52 Simulate high humidity, salt water, high temperature, even sand blasting 03:09 Test materials for aging, not just rusting 03:16 Built for microelectronics aging validation 03:23 Typical aging test: put it in an oven. Ours: heat, humidity, salt, and sand at once. 03:42 Plasma also simulates atmospheric reentry for spacecraft materials 04:01 So can plasma stop rust? No magic. 04:06 Deposit protective coatings, grow protective layers, or age materials to test them If you work in corrosion engineering, surface finishing, aerospace materials, or electronics reliability, this is the map episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #Corrosion #ThermalSpray #SurfaceEngineering #MaterialsScience #Aerospace #Reliability

    Can Plasma Stop Metal From Rusting? Yes. It Can Also Make It Rust Faster.

  7. Oct 10

    Can Plasma Disinfect Without Damage? Why Bacteria Die and Your Skin Doesn't

    Episode 150. Thanks for sticking with the channel. Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can cold plasma kill bacteria on your skin without burning you? Yes. Three parts: why it stays cool, why bacteria die while your tissue survives, and where the safety limits really are. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question: plasma on skin, bacteria die, no burn? 00:16 Three things to cover 00:28 Why plasma stays cool 00:40 Dielectric barrier discharges were bred for very gentle surface treatment 00:45 My master's/PhD lab did a lot of work with Kodak processing photographic film in plasma 00:59 Uniform, close to room temperature by design 01:16 Early experiment: a drop of human blood on a slide, plasma coagulated it 01:24 Lightbulb: this could do wound treatment (coagulate + disinfect in one) 01:34 Starting about 25 years ago 01:47 But who sticks their finger in plasma first? 01:52 I did (as a master's student). Felt nothing. 02:03 Temperature rose about 1°C in 10 minutes of treatment, with very low current 02:34 The sensation experiment 02:39 Three kinds of experiences I've witnessed 02:43 About 1/3 feel nothing 02:51 About 1/3 feel a tingle 02:54 About 1/3 feel very mild warmth 03:05 My theory: nerve ending interaction with the high electric field, not actual heat 03:29 Why it stays cool, really: short-pulsed plasma, designed to 03:41 Why bacteria die 03:48 High local electric fields rupture bacterial cell membranes 04:01 Oxidizers and peroxides degrade bacterial DNA 04:13 Localized UV right at the discharge 04:32 Pressure waves from micro-lightning hits 04:48 Multi-vector attack. Very hard for bacteria to develop resistance. 04:53 We've seen resistance to broad-spectrum UV. We've seen resistance to antibiotics. 05:06 We have not seen bacterial resistance to plasma treatment. Full stop. 05:13 Why tissue survives 05:16 Intact outer skin is dead cells, essentially a dense rubber-like polymer membrane 05:33 Nothing there for oxidizers to kill 05:38 Cells under your skin are much larger than bacteria and already handle oxidative stress 05:48 Plasma treatment actually stimulates them 05:52 Where safety limits kick in: higher doses 06:06 Which is also how we started on cancer: cancer cells divide fast, kill them selectively 06:31 Safety considerations are the most important design element here 06:39 Early-career story: a lab mate asked me to treat her eczema 06:48 I said no. No clinical protocols. I'm not going to experiment on you on a whim. 06:54 That's a hard rule I still keep 07:12 By the way, 15 years later, plasma does work for some cases of eczema (not through me on a whim) 07:25 Recap: plasma kills via multi-vector attack while leaving tissue alone, by design 07:50 Safety limits are the most important engineering constraint in this whole field If you work in clinical plasma medicine, wound care, dermatology, or microbiology, this is the mechanism map episode. 150 episodes in, this one is foundational. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaMedicine #WoundCare #AntimicrobialResistance #Dermatology #Microbiology #PlasmaScience

    Can Plasma Disinfect Without Damage? Why Bacteria Die and Your Skin Doesn't

  8. Oct 8

    Can Plasma Cool a Datacenter? LinkedIn Told Me I'm Wrong. I'm Not Convinced.

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: in a recent episode I said plasma datacenter cooling isn't practical. LinkedIn picked up on it. Comments, messages, emails, phone call. All telling me I'm wrong. Let me defend my position with specifics. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Recap: I said plasma cooling of server farms won't work 00:15 LinkedIn disagreed. Loudly. 00:30 Let's deconstruct this 00:32 Ion wind: asymmetric electrodes + electric field = wind, no moving parts 00:52 Demonstrated for boundary layer attachment on airplanes and rockets (flight control) 01:13 The problem there was batteries: too heavy, too big 01:26 My running joke: if your question starts with "can plasma," yes 99% of the time 01:32 Can plasma create wind? Yes. Can wind cool a server? Yes. Is it practical? No. 01:48 Problem 1: Open high voltage + dust = ignition risk 02:14 Ball bearing fans don't ignite dust 02:49 Problem 2: Open high voltage safety for service technicians 02:59 Problem 3: Ozone generation in open air (unavoidable unless pure N₂, argon, helium, neon) 03:11 Short pulses and catalysts can reduce it. Not eliminate it. 03:40 Ozone is corrosive to electronic components 03:50 The COVID mask disinfection machine story 04:04 Internal components corroded in 20-30 runs 04:20 Fix: acrylic spray coating. Still failed after a few hundred cycles. 04:35 Ozone affects workers AND corrodes servers 04:51 My claim was never "impossible." My claim was "not practical." 05:01 Problem 4: Heat. Power supply efficiency is never 100%. 05:12 Reflected energy from the discharge dissipates as heat in the power supply 05:25 So your "cooling system" is also making heat 05:30 Reactive species in plasma also relax to light or heat eventually 05:47 Meanwhile ball bearing fans: my 15-20 year old computer still has original fans 06:06 My NAS has been running for more than a decade on original fans 06:17 Clean the dust off, keep going 06:20 Four problems to overcome: ozone, inefficiency, high voltage safety, heat generation 06:36 Prove me wrong. Comments, LinkedIn, email, whatever. I'd love to make this work. 06:43 I have all the engineering components for a DBD ion wind generator in my lab 06:51 I've played with it. I can't figure out how to make it practical for datacenters. If you work in datacenter cooling, ion wind systems, DBD engineering, or you were one of the people telling me I'm wrong on LinkedIn, this is the one. Prove me wrong. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #IonWind #Datacenter #ServerCooling #DBD #Ozone #CoolingTechnology

    Can Plasma Cool a Datacenter? LinkedIn Told Me I'm Wrong. I'm Not Convinced.
See All (115)

About

I'm Greg Fridman, a PhD in Bioengineering and an expert in non-equilibrium plasmas. This channel is a space for direct chats about the things that actually matter: the future of biotech, the fascinating physics of plasmas, and the unfiltered reality of the scientific life. No jargon, no gatekeeping—just the science. Subscribe to join the conversation as we explore how bioengineering is reshaping our world and what it’s really like to work at the edge of discovery.

Information

  • Creator
    Gregory Fridman
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    115
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gregory Fridman
  • Show Website
    Chat with Greg Fridman