Use of Low-Temperature Plasma in Practical Decontamination

Offer

Various applications of low-temperature plasma

- Decontamination of liquids and surfaces in praxis

- Research and development in the fi elds of both – human health therapeutics and – veterinary treatments

Know-How & Technologies

- Non-thermal plasma (NTP) arising in various electric discharges in air acts on living organisms through production of many reactive oxygen substances (ROS) and reactive nitrogen substances (RNS).

- NTP can be used to inactivate bacteria and fungi in small volumes of liquids or on various surfaces, enabling their disinfection or sterilization at ambient temperature.

- Exposure of human skin without damage is possible, enabling not only disinfection, but also therapy of human skin and nails mycoses (dermatomycoses and onychomycoses).

- Plenty of further NTP applications is described in literature, including surface modifi cations, food industry utilization, therapeutic use in stomatology, wound healing, up to cancer treatment.

- We are able to generate NTP using various discharges, namely corona discharges of both negative and positive polarity, by patented discharge called cometary in the arrangement with or without insulated grid, or by the Tesla transformer.

Selected publications

- Julák J., Kříha V., Scholtz V.: Corona discharge: A simple method of its generation and study of its bactericidal properties. Cz. J. Phys. 56, B1333–B1338 (2006).

- Scholtz V., Julák J., Kříha V.: The microbicidal eff ect of low-temperature plasma generated by corona discharge: Comparison of various microorganisms on an agar surface or in aqueous suspension. Plasma Process. Polym. 7, 237–243, (2010).

- Soušková H., Scholtz V., Julák J., Kommová L., Savická D., Pazlarová J.: The survival of micromycetes and yeasts under the low-temperature plasma generated in electrical discharge. Folia microbiol., 56, 77–79 (2011).

- Julák J., Janoušková O., Scholtz V., Holada K.: Inactivation of prions using electrical DC discharges at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. Plasma Process. Polym., 8, 316–323 (2011).

- Scholtz V., Julák J.: Zařízení produkující nízkoteplotní plazma pomocí „kometárního“ DC výboje za atmosférického tlaku pro lokální dekontaminaci a sterilizaci. Užitný vzor 22149, Úřad průmyslového vlastnictví ČR, 28. 4. 2011.

- Julák J., Scholtz V., Kotúčová S., Janoušková O.: The persistent microbicidal eff ect in water exposed to the corona discharge. Physica Medica, 28, 230–239 (2012).

- Scholtz V., Julák J., Kvasničková E.: Zařízení pro mikrobiální dekontaminaci nízkoteplotním plazmatem produkovaným kometárním výbojem. Užitný vzor 24146, Úřad průmyslového vlastnictví ČR, Praha, 6. 8. 2012.

- Scholtz V., E. Kvasničková E., Julák J: Microbial inactivation by electric discharge with metallic grid. Acta phys. Pol. A, 124, 62–65 (2013).

- Julák J., Scholtz V.: Decontamination of human skin by low-temperature plasma produced by cometary discharge. Clin. Plasma Med., 1 (No. 2), 31–34 (2013).

- Švarcová M., Julák J., Hubka V., Soušková H., Scholtz V.: Treatment of a superficial mycosis by low-temperature plasma: Case report. Prague Med. Rep. 115 (No. 1-2), 73–78 (2014).

- Scholtz V., Pazlarová J., Soušková H., Khun J., Julák J.: Nonthermal plasma – the tool for decontamination and disinfection. Biotechnology Advances 33 (No. 6-2), 1108–1119 (2015).

- Scholtz V., Soušková H., Hubka V., Švarcová M., Julák J.: Inactivation of human pathogenic dermatophytes by non-thermal plasma. J. Microbiol. Methods 119, 53–58 (2015).

- Julák J., Soušková H., Živná H., Scholtz V.: Možnosti využití nízkoteplotního plazmatu v léčbě plísňových onemocnění. Veterinární lékař 14 (No. 4), 199–204 (2016).

- Scholtz V., Soušková H., Švarcová M., Kříha V., Živná H., Julák J.: Inactivation of dermatophyte infection by nonthermal plasma on animal model. Medical Mycology 55(4), 422–428 (2017).