公开(公告)号：US10933151B2

公开(公告)日：2021-03-02

申请号：US16307302

申请日：2017-06-29

Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY

Inventor： Caleb T. Nelson ,  Assumpta A. G. Bennaars-Eiden ,  Matthew T. Scholz ,  Petra L. Kohler Riedi ,  Steven P. Swanson ,  Nardine S. Abadeer

IPC: A61L2/00 ,  B01J19/08 ,  A61L2/14 ,  H05H1/24

Abstract: A system and methods for sterilizing or disinfecting articles, particularly the hollow internal areas of medical instruments are disclosed. The system includes a plasma generator having an electrode, a shield, and a dielectric gap between the electrode and the shield. A source of electrical power is connected to the plasma generator for applying an electron energy density between the electrode and the shield. A source of gas comprising water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen provides a flow of gas between the electrode and the shield, to form a plasma containing acidic and/or oxidizing species. In the exemplary system, the temperature at the shield's surface is 0.05 eV/molecule of the gas. Also disclosed is a method for disinfecting an article contaminated with a bio-film or spores, by exposing the contaminated article to the plasma for an exposure time sufficient to achieve at least 2-log10 reduction in colony forming units.

公开(公告)号：US20190134243A1

公开(公告)日：2019-05-09

申请号：US16307302

申请日：2017-06-29

Applicant: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY

Inventor： Caleb T. Nelson ,  Assumpta A.G. Bennaars-Eiden ,  Matthew T. Scholz ,  Petra L. Kohler Riedi ,  Steven P. Swanson ,  Nardine S. Abadeer

IPC: A61L2/14 ,  H05H1/24

Abstract: A system and methods for sterilizing or disinfecting articles, particularly the hollow internal areas of medical instruments are disclosed. The system includes a plasma generator having an electrode, a shield, and a dielectric gap between the electrode and the shield. A source of electrical power is connected to the plasma generator for applying an electron energy density between the electrode and the shield. A source of gas comprising water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen provides a flow of gas between the electrode and the shield, to form a plasma containing acidic and/or oxidizing species. In the exemplary system, the temperature at the shield's surface is 0.05 eV/molecule of the gas. Also disclosed is a method for disinfecting an article contaminated with a bio-film or spores, by exposing the contaminated article to the plasma for an exposure time sufficient to achieve at least 2-log10 reduction in colony forming units.