Invited Paper PS+BI+SM-TuM3
Non-Equilibrium Plasmas in Contact with Solutions: Biological Interactions and Material Synthesis

Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 8:40 am, Room 210A

Non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas interacting with liquids offer a unique source of highly reactive chemistry beneficial for many applications in biology, medicine and advanced materials manufacturing. It has been shown that these plasma-liquid interactions can lead to inactivation of bacteria and virus and the synthesis of nanoparticles. Nonetheless the underpinning mechanisms are at least poorly understood. My group has been strongly involved in the study of the reactive chemistry of a well-characterized RF driven atmospheric pressure plasma jet and its interaction with liquids.

The presentation will highlight some examples of reaction pathways responsible for the inactivation of bacteria and virus in solution and the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from AgNO₃ solutions. I will illustrate the importance of reactive plasma chemistry induced by neutral gas phase reactive species such as OH, H₂O₂ NO, O, H, O₃ and singlet oxygen. In addition, we will show that UV emission, which is often neglected as a possible mechanism, can be important in some cases.