Nitric Oxide Generation with an Air Operated Non-Thermal Plasma Jet and Associated Microbial Inactivation Mechanisms

摘要

Chemical species that are generated by a plasma jet in a microhollow cathode discharge geometry when operated with air and a dc voltage were investigated. Nitric oxide (NO) is found as the dominant long-lived reaction product with concentrations of several hundreds of ppm. In comparison, the concentrations observed for nitric dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O-3) are negligible. The concentrations of NO are increasing with increasing electric power but decreasing with increasing flow rates. Simultaneously, NO2 concentrations are increasing slightly. The results suggest that the observed far reaching biocidal effect of the plasma jet depends on the generation of nitric oxide.