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Gregory Fridman
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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. 14h ago

    Can Plasma Kill Bacteria on Food Packaging? Yes. Its Biggest Competitor Is Nothing.

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: if plasma is so good at killing bacteria, why do we still have foodborne illnesses from packaged food? Three things: how plasma actually kills microbes, where it's already deployed (including NASA and Campbell's), and why it hasn't taken over the food packaging industry. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question, and the paradox 00:24 3 things to cover: mechanism, deployment, and why it's not everywhere 00:38 What plasma is: highly ionized gas full of reactive species 00:58 ROS and RNS: peroxides, peroxynitrite, ozone, electronically excited oxygen 01:14 Electrons and charged species (catalytic) 01:33 Broad-spectrum UV down into vacuum UV (VUV) 01:43 VUV doesn't travel in air, but it's generated right next to the bacteria 02:02 High electric fields at the tip of every "micro lightning" 02:31 So how plasma actually kills microbes: ROS/RNS poison + high electric fields rupture cell membranes + UV disrupts DNA 02:47 The NASA story 02:52 Spacecraft disinfection work in two directions 03:00 "Sterilization" doesn't have a clean definition (6-log for most, 9-log for NASA) 03:11 NASA wants fewer than a couple of organisms per square meter of spacecraft material 03:26 The high-aspect-ratio (deep hole) problem: reactive species can penetrate 03:55 All mechanisms play a role in that geometry 04:24 In the US, microwave-plasma discharges are already deployed 04:29 A Campbell's Soup factory tour in New Jersey 04:37 A giant microwave system sterilizes pre-made packaged food 04:49 If Campbell's is already doing it, why hasn't this taken over? 05:05 Reason 1: plasma isn't cheap. Cost per tomato has to be way under a penny. 05:30 The biggest competing technology in food disinfection 05:36 The answer: NOTHING. Wash your own produce. 05:49 Farmer's market model: farmers hand off produce, you clean at home 06:11 A note: wash your produce, especially from farmer's markets 06:20 Grocery stores are generally safer than farmer's markets on this 06:33 Reason 2: high voltage. Occupational safety concerns. 06:41 Big plasma for big produce (like a potato) means 100+ kV supplies 06:59 Above 100 kV, electrons hitting surfaces produce Bremsstrahlung radiation 07:19 Which means hard X-rays. Small amounts, but real. 07:26 Extra worker protection is now required. Cost goes up again. 07:55 Package geometry adds constraints: plasma-activated water fog works for some products, not for potato chips (soggy) 08:16 Recap: yes, plasma kills. Deployed in some applications. Regulatory and health/safety keep it from being everywhere. If you're in food safety, packaging engineering, regulatory affairs, or NASA-adjacent sterilization, this is the map episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #FoodSafety #FoodPackaging #Sterilization #NASA #Bremsstrahlung #IndustrialEngineering #PlasmaChemistry

    Can Plasma Kill Bacteria on Food Packaging? Yes. Its Biggest Competitor Is Nothing.

  2. 3d ago

    Can Plasma Make Hydrogen? A Silent-Tank Story, Off-Grid Farms, and On-Site Generation

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma make hydrogen without electrolysis? Yes. From water, methane, ammonia, biological waste, diesel fuel, or a mix of soil and cow manure. Plasma doesn't care about the source. On-site generation is where this gets interesting. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question, plus 3 things to cover 00:18 Point 1: plasma cracks water, methane, ammonia, and other hydrogen-containing feedstocks directly 00:29 Point 2: energy efficiency determines whether it's industrially viable 00:39 Point 3: plasma reactors can be small and cheap, which reshapes logistics 00:57 How it works: feedstock through plasma dissociates hydrogen-containing molecules 01:17 Farm example: convert hydrocarbon waste into hydrogen, feed a fuel cell, generate electricity 01:41 The silent tank story 01:51 Reconnaissance mission at night, tank needs to be quiet 02:02 Radar and coffee makers need electricity (soldiers need coffee to stay awake) 02:19 Old approach: idle a 12-cylinder diesel engine just to power onboard electronics 02:25 12-cylinder diesel = a lot of heat and a lot of noise 02:30 Our project: crack tank diesel through plasma, produce hydrogen, feed a Ceramatec fuel cell 02:55 Tank runs cold and much quieter 03:10 Plasma still makes some noise, but nothing like an idling 12-cylinder diesel 03:21 Plasma doesn't care how dirty the source is 03:33 Take soil mixed with cow manure, make hydrogen 03:38 Compared to electrolysis 03:44 Nuclear plants run electrolyzers at night with excess electricity 04:04 Problem: storing a shit ton of explosive gas next to a nuclear reactor 04:26 Plus transport, storage, and safety costs 04:37 Plasma alternative: much smaller reactor, place it directly where the hydrogen is needed 04:53 Hospital scenario: biological waste (garments, polymers, blood) → plasma → hydrogen → fuel cell → hospital electricity 05:14 No more hazmat waste bill. You've turned a cost into an asset. 05:29 Farm scenario (this is my favorite) 05:33 Prior US administration heavily invested in solar 05:42 Farmers built solar, generate way more than they need, sell it back 06:04 Long transmission distances from farm to city → electricity companies charge huge delivery fees 06:21 Farmers end up selling excess power for pennies on the dollar 06:26 Alternative: use that excess solar to power plasma, produce hydrogen 06:33 Burn it for heat, convert it back to electricity, or fuel farm equipment 06:41 I'm not a big believer in consumer hydrogen vehicles (logistics and highway explosion risk) 07:04 But for a single location (farm, hospital), hydrogen is fantastic 07:10 Off-grid farm with plasma converting trash + solar into hydrogen fuels all equipment 07:39 Recap: yes plasma can crack most hydrogen-containing precursors, efficiency is application-specific, on-site generation is the future If you're in energy, agriculture, hospital operations, defense, or hydrogen logistics, this is the map episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #Hydrogen #FuelCell #GreenHydrogen #Agriculture #Defense #EnergyStorage #OffGrid #Sustainability

    Can Plasma Make Hydrogen? A Silent-Tank Story, Off-Grid Farms, and On-Site Generation

  3. 5d ago

    "That's Just What You Believe." Here's Actually How I Decide What I Believe (3 Principles)

    Someone recently left a comment on one of my videos: "buddy, that's just what you believe." Yes, sir. Here's exactly how I got there, in three principles, plus two stories about being wrong. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The comment: "that's just what you believe" 00:12 Today: my belief system, and how I establish it 00:21 The three principles 00:25 1. Base beliefs on evidence and replication, not authority 00:34 2. Hold conclusions provisionally, always open to new evidence 00:52 3. Distinguish consensus from certainty. Distinguish data from interpretation. 01:10 Principle 1: the paver patio story 01:24 Our contractor put black weed-prevention fabric under the gravel, which is correct 01:49 They also extended it under the new sod, which the manufacturer says not to do 02:04 First check: Google, verify the product, verify the spec 02:24 Contractor was authoritative and dismissive: "I've been doing it like this for years" 03:14 Called two other lawn-care companies, both said no, grass will suffocate 03:41 Authority alone isn't enough. Evidence and replication is. 03:57 Principle 2: hold conclusions provisionally 04:03 The Apple story (embarrassing but instructive) 04:45 I was teaching a class 10+ years ago 04:51 Told my students Apple was actually run by a dozen people, everything else outsourced 05:03 (I have no idea where I picked that up. It sounded true to me.) 05:22 A student raised her hand and said "I work at an Apple store. There are thousands of us. My paycheck says Apple Inc." 05:39 I apologized on the spot 05:51 I said I'd verify and change my conclusion by next class if needed 06:09 Went home, checked, yeah I was massively wrong 06:18 Next class: apologized again, changed my conclusion, held the new one provisionally 06:39 (I'll change it again if Elon Musk turns out to run Apple) 06:44 Principle 3: consensus vs certainty, data vs interpretation 06:53 Consensus is interpretation of data, not data itself 07:03 "Best steakhouse in town" is opinion. To buy that steakhouse, I need the actual numbers. 07:26 Consensus can update. Data updates it. 07:49 To the commenter: yes, that's what I believe. This is how I got there. 08:03 What's your belief system? Comment below. If you're a scientist, engineer, founder, or anyone who's had to update a belief in public, this one's for you. 🔔 Subscribe for more: @gregfridman #Science #Epistemology #CriticalThinking #Research #DecisionMaking #Founders #Beliefs

    "That's Just What You Believe." Here's Actually How I Decide What I Believe (3 Principles)

  4. Sep 8

    Can Plasma Clean Cigarette Smoke in Your Apartment? Yes. Radioactive Isotopes Are the Real Problem.

    Follow-up to my last smoke and exhaust episode. Two viewer questions in one: why is bread exhaust alcohols, and can plasma clean cigarette smoke in your apartment? Yes to both, but cigarette smoke has a surprise you probably haven't thought about. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The two viewer questions in one 00:44 3 topics: VOCs, byproducts, and "some crap plasma can't remove" 01:15 Why bread exhaust is alcohols: yeast eats sugar and produces ethanol 01:40 Plus aldehydes, organic acids, esters (this is why fresh bread smells amazing) 02:14 One loaf smells wonderful. A factory produces clouds. 02:39 VOCs are easy for plasma to oxidize (alcohol burns readily) 02:58 Now cigarette smoke, which is the most studied smoke on earth (tobacco lawsuit funding) 03:22 Cigarette VOCs: easy. Nitrogen oxides from the thermal process: harder. 03:43 NO reacts with plasma-generated ozone to make peroxynitrite (which you also then need to manage) 03:55 The byproduct problem in both cases 04:12 What do you do with the ozone and peroxide plasma itself generates? 04:25 Cigarette smoke also has hydrogen cyanide and ammonia 04:37 Now you're putting an air scrubber in a house with kids in it 04:59 Filtration choices matter a lot 05:08 Point 3: some contaminants plasma just can't remove 05:14 Bread exhaust is mostly clean-able. Cigarette smoke is not. 05:41 The tar problem: particles/droplets are too big for non-equilibrium plasma 05:56 Plasma works one molecule at a time. Tar is thousands of molecules per particle. 06:16 One approach: use plasma to charge droplets, then capture with electrostatic precipitator 06:32 My favorite hidden problem: tobacco plants absorb radioactive isotopes from soil 06:40 Radioactive isotopes are in cigarettes, then in the smoke, then in the air 06:53 Trapping those is its own challenge 07:18 In a home system with children around, this all compounds 07:45 Commercial cigarette-air-cleaning systems use 5-6 filters in series 07:48 Plasma for VOCs, HEPA for particles, activated carbon for what plasma missed, pre-filter for dust, sometimes electrostatic precipitator on top 08:13 So: hire a plasma engineer or consult with one 08:23 Recap 08:34 VOCs from bread and cigarettes are both easy for plasma to remove 08:40 Byproduct management is the real engineering challenge 08:51 There is no magic. Plasma is a strong oxidizer. Some things it can't remove. If you're building an air purification product, working in industrial exhaust, or you were about to buy a "plasma cigarette smoke cleaner" for your apartment, this is the one to watch first. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #AirPurification #IndoorAirQuality #CigaretteSmoke #IndustrialExhaust #Filtration #EnvironmentalEngineering

    Can Plasma Clean Cigarette Smoke in Your Apartment? Yes. Radioactive Isotopes Are the Real Problem.

  5. Sep 5

    Can Plasma Clean Without Touching? Yes, at 8 Meters Per Second (Ask Kodak)

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma clean a surface without touching it? Yes. Reactive gas-phase species do the work with zero physical contact. Great for organic contamination. Bad for big chunks and metals. Fast enough for Kodak to use on film production at 8 meters per second. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question, and 3 things to cover 00:07 Reactive species vs physical contact 00:20 What plasma can and can't remove 00:25 Why this matters industrially 00:31 Reactive species work one molecule at a time 00:51 Big chunk of contamination? Plasma is not your tool. It'll take forever. 01:06 Where plasma shines: low-level contamination on a surface 01:12 Gas-phase reactive species near the surface, no contact required 01:30 What plasma removes well: organic contaminants 01:37 Dielectric barrier discharges are especially good at this 01:46 Oils, proteins, fingerprints 01:57 What plasma can't remove: metal salts, metals, large chunks 02:14 Any organic contaminant? Plasma is fantastic. 02:20 Industrial case study: my Kodak collaboration 02:33 Engineers from Kodak, the last generation of Kodak film (APS, Advanced Photo Systems) 02:49 That film was made on a web (continuous roll fed through processing) 02:56 Look up "web press" vs "sheet-fed press" if you're curious 03:11 Kodak ran their film through plasma at 8 meters per second 03:31 Two goals: clean the film, and make it hydrophilic so coatings stick better 03:58 Kodak managed all of it at 8 meters per second 04:02 Touchless matters when you're moving material that fast 04:05 No scraping. No physical modification. Gas-phase only. 04:15 Alternative would be spraying chemicals on it 04:22 But chemicals are sticky, and you then need to neutralize them 04:28 Reactive plasma species have sub-second lifetimes, so nothing to neutralize downstream 04:36 Recap 04:41 Reactive species vs physical contact 04:47 Organics yes, metals and chunks no 04:59 Touchless matters at high industrial speeds, and it's a repeatable process If you work in continuous-process manufacturing (film, packaging, textiles, semiconductors) or you've wondered how you clean a surface at meters per second, this is the episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #SurfaceCleaning #WebPress #Manufacturing #SemiconductorManufacturing #Kodak #IndustrialEngineering

    Can Plasma Clean Without Touching? Yes, at 8 Meters Per Second (Ask Kodak)

  6. Sep 3

    Can Plasma Clean Smoke and Exhaust? Yes. Soot Is Where It Struggles.

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma clean smoke and exhaust? Yes, it's a proven after-treatment technology. Three catches: soot is hard, ozone is a byproduct, and electricity costs more than natural gas. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question, and 3 things to cover 00:10 Non-thermal plasma is a proven exhaust after-treatment technology 00:19 Catch 1: soot and particulate matter 00:29 Catch 2: byproducts (ozone) and electricity cost 00:52 The Campbell Soup / Pepperidge Farm story 01:07 Baking thousands of loaves of bread produces alcohol vapors 01:37 Their current solution: burn off residual smoke with methane flame 01:47 The trap: burning methane uses your CO₂ credits, buys natural gas, adds compressed-gas safety overhead 02:16 Plasma becomes an attractive alternative 02:25 The soot problem: exhaust with unburned diesel or fine particulates 02:37 Non-equilibrium plasma is too slow: breaks down molecules one at a time 02:55 If it's volatile organics only, no problem. Soot changes the game. 03:07 A mentor of mine at MIT commercialized a plasma afterburner for diesel truck exhaust 03:23 The story: idling semi truck outside my student apartment all night 03:36 Loud, smoky, running the AC on the diesel 03:55 Gliding-arc (transitional) plasma is higher power and can actually burn soot 04:06 The trade-off: electricity cost 04:09 Not commercialized for diesel trucks yet because you'd need to carry a battery for the plasma 04:21 Catch 3: ozone byproduct 04:35 The FAA airplane story 04:41 We can plasma-clean airplane cabin air (enclosed environment, people sneezing/coughing) 04:59 But ozone byproduct plus plasma as ignition source with fuel leaks = no-go 05:13 Recap 05:21 Yes, it works. The 3 catches are soot, ozone byproducts, and electricity cost. If you work in emissions control, diesel exhaust after-treatment, industrial ventilation, or aviation, this is the map episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #EmissionsControl #ExhaustAfterTreatment #Diesel #IndustrialVentilation #AirQuality #EnvironmentalEngineering

    Can Plasma Clean Smoke and Exhaust? Yes. Soot Is Where It Struggles.

  7. Sep 1

    How I Deal With Tangent Projects: A 3-Step Algorithm (Recognize, Delegate, Delete)

    A viewer asked how I deal with tangent projects. The ideas that pop up in the middle of what you're actually supposed to be doing. I have a 3-step algorithm I use every day. Here it is. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question: how do you handle tangents? 00:32 The 3-step algorithm: recognize, delegate, delete 01:05 Step 1: recognize which ideas are actually important 01:09 Every intake needs a filter (Slack, meetings, your own head) 01:21 Important for you? The team? The company? Your house? 01:37 My system: Todoist, with a folder called LTS (long-term storage) 02:04 Borrowed the name from Amazon's cloud storage tiers 02:08 Monthly ritual: first Monday or Tuesday, review the LTS list 02:21 Do it, delegate it, delete it, or postpone. But make the decision. 02:44 Anti-example: task was to paint the door, then your house burned down. Delete. 02:53 Step 2: delegate if possible 02:56 You can delegate to your future self, but be careful 02:59 The "record a video" trap: first need to buy a camera, set up mic, monitor, lighting, set up, set up, set up 03:22 Get too sucked in and you never record 03:35 Delegate to future self wisely 03:45 The honey-do list criteria (things the honey needs to do for the wifey) 03:57 Am I technically capable? Am I physically capable? Am I the best choice? 04:10 What does it cost me vs hiring someone? 04:12 Current example: finishing a patio 04:20 Absolutely within my technical capability 04:37 Would consume entire weekends and evenings of physical labor 04:52 Delegate to a paid professional. Even things you could do, sometimes shouldn't. 04:57 Colleagues also have costs (their time and company time) 05:23 Step 3: delete ruthlessly 05:32 Something felt super important at some point in time 05:40 I try to note WHY, so I can revisit the reasoning honestly later 05:46 Todoist lets you attach images and voice notes 05:54 Delete anyway 05:58 A boss I had years ago carried "super important tasks" on a crappy little piece of paper in his shirt pocket 06:10 Things like "go talk to the president" 06:26 One day he showed up gray, said "I lost the piece of paper" 06:39 Then, calmly: "F**k it. It's important enough, they'll find me." 06:46 Great question to ask yourself before doing something you thought was urgent 06:56 Recognize, delegate, delete. That's the algorithm. If you're a founder, PhD student, engineering lead, or anyone whose inbox is smarter than they are, this one's for you. 🔔 Subscribe for more: @gregfridman #Productivity #Founders #TimeManagement #Todoist #Focus #Delegation #Leadership #Research

    How I Deal With Tangent Projects: A 3-Step Algorithm (Recognize, Delegate, Delete)

  8. Aug 29

    Can Plasma Make Nanoparticles? Yes. I Discovered Some By Accident (And My Advisor Told Me to Drop It)

    Next in the "Can Plasma?" series: can plasma make nanoparticles? Yes. And a personal story about how I accidentally discovered some in grad school, why my advisor made me drop it, and the focus lesson that stuck with me. ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 The question, and a story to go with it 00:11 The quick technical answer: yes, from many precursors 00:19 Flame and plasma are both good candidates for a reactive synthesis environment 00:31 Oxidize, atomize, condense onto surfaces to grow nanomaterials 00:59 The nano boom era: every proposal we wrote had "nano" in the title 01:06 The chemists laughed because they were working in Angstroms (sub-nanometer) 01:18 So yes, plasma can make nanoparticles 01:23 The real answer depends on which particle, what purity, what reproducibility 01:30 The story starts back in my master's days 01:33 My setup: plasma-treated water droplets, electric-field deposition 01:47 A nanoprinter for proteins and biomolecules (in argon to preserve the biology) 02:19 My chamber was built mostly with acrylic 02:21 When I screwed something up, plasma would arc onto the acrylic 02:29 It built these fine fibrous black ropes between the electrodes 02:44 At the same time I was training on SEM, TEM, XPS 03:02 So I zoomed in on the ropes 03:14 What I found: nanometer-scale triangular shapes 03:27 I got very excited 03:28 Ran to my PhD advisor (one of my seven) 03:42 "God, my system synthesizes these really cool nanoparticles!" 03:48 Advisor: "What's your department?" Bioengineering. 03:54 "What's your project?" Printing biomolecules. 04:02 "And which part of that is nanomaterial synthesis?" 04:08 None. 04:14 The lesson: a PhD is focused study. Easy to get distracted. Nanomaterials are cool. Not my field. 04:37 So I abandoned it. But I still remember those shapes. 04:43 I'll try to dig up a photo and add it here. 04:49 Bottom line: yes, plasma can make nanoparticles. 04:54 Ask me a more specific question and I'll go deeper. The field has advanced very far. If you're a grad student, PI, or anyone who's ever gotten distracted by a shiny side result, this is the episode. 🔔 Subscribe for more in the "Can Plasma?" series: @gregfridman #CanPlasma #PlasmaScience #Nanoparticles #Nanotechnology #PhDLife #Research #MaterialsScience #GradSchool

    Can Plasma Make Nanoparticles? Yes. I Discovered Some By Accident (And My Advisor Told Me to Drop It)
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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
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gregory Fridman
  • Show Website
    Chat with Greg Fridman