Direct and Indirect Bactericidal Effects of Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Microplasma and Plasma Jet

The direct and indirect bactericidal effects of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) cold atmospheric-pressure microplasma in an air and plasma jet generated in an argon-oxygen gas mixture was investigated on Staphylococcus aureus and Cutibacterium acnes. An AC power supply was used to generate plasma at relatively low discharge voltages (0.9–2.4 kV) and frequency (27–30 kHz). Cultured bacteria were cultivated at a serial dilution of 10(−5), then exposed to direct microplasma treatment and indirect treatment through plasma-activated water (PAW). The obtained results revealed that these methods of bacterial inactivation showed a 2 and 1 log reduction in the number of survived CFU/mL with direct treatment being the most effective means of treatment at just 3 min using air. UV–Vis spectroscopy confirmed that an increase in treatment time at 1.2% O(2), 98.8% Ar caused a decrease in O(2) concentration in the water as well as a decrease in absorbance of the peaks at 210 nm, which are attributed NO(2)(−) and NO(3)(−) concentration in the water, termed denitratification and denitritification in the treated water, respectively.