Effects of substrate conductivity on dielectric barrier discharge sterilization efficacy

Summary form only given. Non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma is an ideal solution for sterilizing spacecraft before flight and upon return to Earth without thermal or chemical degradation to the surface. Spacecrafts are composed of a variety of conductive and non-conductive components. For this reason, it is important to study sterilization efficacy on varying substrates which are conductive, non-conductive, wet, dry, grounded, and un-grounded. The bacteria chosen for these experiments are Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus pumulis, and Deinococcus radiodurans. The results will allow NASA researchers to better design spacecraft for higher sterilization efficacy. Further, it will ultimately aide in preventing forward and reverse contamination for NASA space missions.