Investigation of the role of chemically active radicals in the antibacterial properties of a low-temperature plasma jet at ambient pressure mixed with argon and air

Abstract

Abstract The work is devoted to the study of a low-temperature plasma jet of atmospheric pressure in a mixture of air with argon, used in plasma medicine. The intensities of the spectral emission bands of OH– (309 nm), N2 (337 nm), and N2 (356 nm) in different parts of the plasma jet were investigated depending on the argon flow rate and the amplitude of voltage pulses at the electrodes of the dielectric barrier discharge. The antibacterial effect of such a plasma jet on the surface of biological tissues has been experimentally investigated. Numerical simulation of ionization processes in the studied plasma source has been performed in the COMSOL Multiphysics software using. The dynamics of the distribution of excited molecules in the plasma torch as well as the kinetic plasma processes inside the plasma torch affecting the spatial distribution of its main characteristics have been analyzed.