Transport and accumulation of plasma generated species in aqueous solution

Abstract

The interaction between cold atmospheric pressure plasma and liquids is receiving increasing attention for various applications. In particular, the use of plasma-treated liquids (PTL) for biomedical applications is of growing importance, in particular for sterilization and cancer treatment. However, insight into the underlying mechanisms of plasma–liquid interactions is still scarce. Here, we present a 2D fluid dynamics model for the interaction between a plasma jet and liquid water. Our results indicate that the formed reactive species originate from either the gas phase (with further solvation) or are formed at the liquid interface. A clear increase in the aqueous density of H₂O₂, HNO₂/NO₂⁻ and NO₃⁻ is observed as a function of time, while the densities of O₃, HO₂/O₂⁻ and ONOOH/ONOO⁻ are found to quickly reach a maximum due to chemical reactions in solution. The trends observed in our model correlate well with experimental observations from the literature.