Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of a homemade plasma system, the microwave-induced plasma jet (MIPJ), operating under atmospheric pressure (APPJ), in inhibiting bacteria that cause skin diseases. The system used argon gas and a voltage source of up to 2.4 GHz to generate a non-thermal plasma. The inhibition efficiency of the plasma was tested against gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. The bacteria were exposed to the plasma column at various voltages (165-185 V), with a gas flow rate of 10 L/min, a 60-second exposure time, and a 6 cm distance between the plasma and the bacteria samples. The plasma system effectively inhibited the growth of gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas) by adjusting the voltages during exposure. At 165 volts, the rate of bacterial inhibition was measured (0%), at 170 volts, the rate was (5%), at 175 volts, the rate was (10%), at 180 volts, the rate was (40%), at 185 volts, the rate was (50%), when exposed to the plasma system, gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) by adjusting the voltages during exposure. At 165 volts, the rate of bacterial inhibition was measured (10%), at 170 volts, the rate was (30%), at 175 volts, the rate was (40%), at 180 volts, the rate was (5%), at 185 volts, the rate was (35%), The MIPJ system proved to be an effective tool for treating different types of bacteria. The study emphasized the impact of voltage change on bacteria inactivation. It highlighted that an increase in the rate of voltage change and high-speed particle discharge could penetrate the external structure of bacteria, playing a crucial role in bacteria inactivation by the plasma jet