Atomic oxygen and hydroxyl radical generation in round helium-based atmospheric-pressure plasma jets by various electrode arrangements and its application in sterilizing Streptococcus mutans

The reactive chemical species generated in an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ), such as hydroxyl radical and atomic oxygen, are generally regarded as the major sources for several biomedical applications. In this paper, we propose an APPJ with a 25-kHz high-voltage powered stainless steel tube fixed inside a quartz tube and an aluminum grounded electrode that is wrapped around the quartz tube. The results show that the radical intensities of atomic oxygen and hydroxyl radical, gas temperature, and power absorption increase with increasing distance of discharge gap distance under the same applied voltage. Increasing the width of grounded electrode increases gas temperature and causes higher power absorption but only slight change of radical generation. We have applied the APPJ with the conditions of highest radical generation (grounded electrode width = discharge gap distance = 15 mm) for effectively sterilizing Streptococcus mutans within 15 s, which shows a highly potential application for root canal disinfection.