Abstract
Low-pressure plasma is a promising method for destroying microorganisms, an alternative to “conventional” methods, which have numerous drawbacks. Several plasma-based sterilization technologies are presently under development, even though the exact role of the various plasma constituents, for example ultraviolet radiation, on the sterilization mechanism is still unknown and subject to controversy. In this study, we first report high sporicidal activity of a microwave (MW) plasma compared to its radio-frequency (RF) counterpart, which we believe to be due to the higher concentration of reactive particles in the former plasma. We then report a relatively low sporicidal efficacy of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation (between 115 and 170 nm) emitted by an hydrogen MW plasma, in spite of the high effectiveness of these photons to break chemical bonds. We discuss these results in terms of etching (ablation), which we have observed for both synthetic polymers and spores, and in terms of other possible mechanisms proposed in the literature. The sporicidal effectiveness of VUV/UV radiation appears to vary markedly with wavelength and intensity, on account of spore structure and molecular absorption.
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Lerouge, S., Fozza, A.C., Wertheimer, M.R. et al. Sterilization by Low-Pressure Plasma: The Role of Vacuum-Ultraviolet Radiation. Plasmas and Polymers 5, 31–46 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009504209276
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009504209276