Plasma Induced Afterglow Luminescence

Abstract Afterglow imaging, is an emerging optical modality using agents that emit persistent luminescence after excitation ceases to eliminate tissue auto fluorescence and improve signal-to-background ratios. However, there was limited number of organic matters could produce persistent luminescence when using light, ultrasound or ionizing radiation as the excitation source. Herein, we explored cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) as a universal and exclusive stimulus for activating intense and long-lasting afterglow from widely-exist organic matters, which could not easily excited by light, ultrasound or X-ray radiation. Furthermore, we demonstrated the biomedical applications of the CAP-induced long-lasting afterglow for photodynamic residual removal after surgical resection of tumor. It should be point out that using CAP as the excitation source might opened new avenue for afterglow imaging clinical translation based on some FDA-approval organic matters learning from the drug repurposing strategy.