Heating Effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharges in Sterilization

Summary form only given. Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs) are significant among the all types of non-thermal plasmas with their ease of operation. They produce several chemically active species with low gas heating. Because of this characteristic, DBDs are widely used in gas cleaning, thin film deposition, ozone production, light source, industrial processes of polymer films or fibers to increase the wetability and the adhesion, and many other technologies, Beside the listed above, DBDs enable various emerging novel applications in biology and medical field. In most cases, breakdown of an atmospheric pressure gas results in multi streamer mode of operation with formation of microdischarges and their consecutive appearances, which are visible to naked eye, called filaments. Despite the very small geometry and very short life time of the microdischarges, they are the only mechanism for dissipation of energy within the gap which causes localization of the heating only at the vicinity of the channel. Eventually, microdicharges are the only factors that are responsible for temperature increase in the gap and on the treated surface. Energy dissipation is minute but highly localized, so is important when surface to be treated is biological (temperature sensitive) material. Not only this thermal influence but also some other important parameters are strongly dependent on the electrical properties of discharges, i.e. driving voltage. In this study we compared thermal influence and temperature of two different types of discharges (sinusoidal and microsecond-pulsed waveform) that have been generated and tested with two distinct electrode configurations. Results will be presented in order to determine the possibilities how to control the heating effect with driving waveform.