Space Sterilization Effect Through High-Density Plasma Ozone Using DBD Device

Abstract

Atmospheric pressure plasma is generated via electrical discharge under atmospheric pressure, and the electron energy is generally higher than that of other particles such as ions and neutral particles. In this state, the plasma becomes a non-equilibrium state. Plasma ozone is being utilized in several applications such as high-performance sterilization. Dielectrics such as glass, quartz, and ceramics are generally used in dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) devices. Such dielectric layers are advantageous in limiting the amount of supplied electron charge and distributing plasma evenly on the surface of the dielectrics. The target or environment for sterilization is often a complex structure, and the concept of space sterilization needs to be investigated. In this study, space sterilization is demonstrated through a high-density plasma ozone generator using DBD. The plasma ozone reactor realizes a DBD structure by leveraging a ceramic tube dielectric and a stainless-steel pipe-type conductor at regular intervals. A sterilization test was performed on three types of bacteria using the proposed prototype, and 99.9% sterilization was achieved after 2 h. Thus, plasma ozone sterilization can be utilized as a as a space sterilization device with effective performance without deformation of targets is short periods of time.