Effect of excited nitrogen atoms on inactivation of spore-forming microorganisms in low pressure N2/O2 surface-wave plasma

Using a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) absorption spectroscopy with a compact low pressure plasma light source, the absolute nitrogen atom density was measured to study its role in the spore inactivation with low pressure N2/O2 gas mixture surface-wave plasmas (SWPs). Self-absorption effect of the resonance emission lines of nitrogen atoms near 120 nm was minimized by optimizing its discharge conditions of the plasma light source. Experimental results showed that excited nitrogen atom densities monotonically decreased with the decrease of N2 gas percentage in N2/O2 gas mixture SWPs, concomitantly with similar decrease of VUV/UV emission intensities of nitrogen atoms and molecules. In the pure N2 gas SWPs, it was confirmed that a dominant lethal factor was VUV/UV emission generated by N2 plasma, while spore etching occurred via physical and chemical interactions with nitrogen species. With an addition of O2 gas, significant spore etching by excited oxygen atoms made it much easier for the VUV/UV photons emitted by nitrogen atoms, N2 and NO molecules to penetrate through the etched spore coats to the core and cause the fatal DNA damage of the microorganisms. As a result, more rapid inactivation was achieved in the middle region of N2/O2 gas mixture ratio, such as 30–80% O2 gas addition, in the present N2/O2 gas mixture SWPs.