Bactericidal action of the plasma of high-frequency capacitive and barrier discharges on microorganisms

The bactericidal action of the plasma of a high-frequency discharge excited at a frequency f = 5.28 MHz and a low pressure in air on different test-strains of microorganisms has been investigated. The high-efficiency plasma inactivation of strains of E. coli, B. subtilis, C. albicans, and S. aureus at an initial contamination N 0 ≤ 103 CFU / ml was detected. It was established that the most probable sterilization agents of the plasma generated are the “hot” and “cold” OH radicals, the excited electrically neutral N2 and O2 molecules, and the UV plasma radiation.