Intermittent Pulsating DC‐Driven Atmospheric Pressure Needle‐Water Discharge: An Energy‐Conserving and Sustainable Strategy to Generate Plasma‐Activated Water for Sterilization

ABSTRACT Plasma‐activated water (PAW) is a promising eco‐friendly antibacterial agent; however, generating it with a cost‐effective and highly compatible power supply to enhance energy efficiency and reduce electrode consumption remains a challenge. This work proposes an intermittent pulsating DC power supply to drive the needle‐water discharge, offering an economically efficient solution. When considering 99.9% inactivation, its energy consumption is 102 J/mL, lower than the reported values. It can also mitigate heat accumulation and electrode erosion. Through the optimization of discharge parameters, PAW generated under conditions of maximum power and minimum frequency demonstrates the best inactivation performance. These insights are of great value for the energy‐conserving preparation and sustainable utilization of PAW, facilitating its application in the field of sterilization.