A flexible sheet-type dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was studied for the low-temperature sterilization of medical instruments wrapped with Tyvek packaging. Sterilization experiments using Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores with a population of 106 were carried out with various mixtures of nitrogen and oxygen. We confirmed the inactivation of spores after 4.5 min of DBD irradiation at a temperature of 28.4 °C and relative humidity of 64.4%. The main sterilizing factors of this method are the ozone and UV emissions generated by DBD in dry air and synergistic OH radicals generated by DBD in moist air.
The use of a linear DBD for the internal sterilization of thin plastic tubes used in medical facilities is studied. We demonstrated that flexible, long, linear DBD plasmas were produced with a diameter of 0.2–3 mm and a length longer than 1 m. The internal sterilization experiments of medical plastic tubes were carried out using a thin, linear DBD. We confirmed that 106 Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores were killed inside the tube at room temperature after 12 min DBD irradiation under atmospheric conditions. The sterilization was attributed to UV radiation of the nitrogen molecules' second positive system, the ozone generated in the air, and/or their synergetic effect.
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