Optimal Discharge Parameters for Biomedical Surface Sterilization in Radiofrequency AR/O 2 Plasma

Samira Elaissi, Fatemah. H. Alkallas, Amira Ben Gouider Trabelsi, Lamia Abu El Maati and Kamel Charrada
Additional contact information
Samira Elaissi: Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Fatemah. H. Alkallas: Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Amira Ben Gouider Trabelsi: Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Lamia Abu El Maati: Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
Kamel Charrada: Research Unit of Ionized Backgrounds and Reagents Studies (UEMIR), Preparatory Institute for Engineering Studies of Monastir (IPEIM), University of Monastir, Kairouan Street, Monastir 5019, Tunisia

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: Plasma parameters of radiofrequency discharge generated at low pressures in an argon-oxygen mixture addressed for biomedical surface sterilization have been optimized. Numerical results illustrate the density distributions of different species and electron temperatures during the electrical discharge process. The current discharge acting in the abnormal range decreases at higher oxygen gas flow rates. The temperature of electrons drops with pressure while it rises by adding oxygen. Nevertheless, electron density displays an adverse trend, exhibited by the electron’s temperature. The average particle density of the reactive species is enhanced in Ar/O 2 compared to He/O 2 , which ensures a better efficiency of Ar/O 2 in sterilizing bacteria than He/O 2 . The impact of oxygen addition on the discharge mixture reveals raised oxygen atom density and a reduction in metastable oxygen atoms. A pronounced production of oxygen atoms is achieved at higher frequency domains. This makes our findings promising for biomedical surface sterilization and leads to optimal parameter discharges used for sterilization being at 30% of oxygen gas ratio and 0.3 Torr pressure.

Keywords: plasma parameters; numerical model; oxygen–argon mixture; radiofrequency; efficiency; sterilization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/4/1589/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/4/1589/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:4:p:1589-:d:754936

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().