Decontamination Efficiency of a DBD Lamp Containing an UV-C Emitting Phosphor

Among different physical and chemical agents, the UV radiation appears to be an important route for inactivation of resistant microorganisms. The present study introduces a new mercury‐free Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) flat lamp, where the biocide action comes from the UV emission produced by rare‐earth phosphor obtained by spray pyrolysis, following plasma excitation. In this study, the emission intensity of the prototype lamp is tuned by controlling gas pressure and electrical power, 500 mbar and 15 W, corresponding to optimal conditions. In order to characterize the prototype lamp, the energetic output, temperature increase following lamp ignition and ozone production of the source were measured. The bactericidal experiments carried out showed excellent results for several gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacterial strains, thus demonstrating the high decontamination efficiency of the DBD flat lamp. Finally, the study of the external morphology of the microorganisms after the exposure to the UV emission suggested that other mechanisms than the bacterial DNA damage could be involved in the inactivation process. An innovative mercury‐free Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) flat lamp has been developed to obtain large spectrum UV‐C radiation. The UV‐C radiation is produced by a pyrophosphate phosphor doped with Pr3+ (α‐Ca2P2O7: Pr2%Na2%) internal coating excited by the 172 nm emission of a Ne‐Xe plasma. This work investigates the influence of the plasma parameters on the newly developed UV source energy efficiency and its bactericidal efficiency.