Decontamination effects of low-temperature plasma generated by corona discharge. Part I: an overview.

The first part of this article is devoted to a minireview of basic terms of plasma physics and chemistry described in a way understandable even to nonspecialists in the field. Among the methods of generation of low-temperature plasma, the unipolar electric corona discharge in air at atmospheric pressure is described in more detail. Selected studies are mentioned that concern the decontamination effects of low-temperature plasma and the currently known mechanisms of its microbicidal action. The key part of this mechanism is the action of UV light and both charged and uncharged particles. The most important common mechanism seems to be different forms of reactive oxygen species and some methods of their determination are therefore briefly described.