Microbubble‐Enhanced Plasma for Water Disinfection: Improved Reactive Species Yield and Synergistic Sterilization Mechanism

ABSTRACT Plasma‐activated water (PAW) offers a promising alternative to conventional disinfection methods in biomedical applications. However, most existing PAW preparation methods are constrained by mass transfer limitations of reactive species, reducing overall effectiveness. To address this, a Venturi tube‐based microbubble generator is integrated with a coaxial dielectric barrier discharge system. The combined system generates tunable microbubbles (< 200 µm) and achieves a 13.8‐fold enhancement in ozone dissolution versus plasma alone. Both reactive oxygen and nitrogen species are detected, with concentrations varying with gas flow rates. This plasma‐micobubble system achieves a 4.79‐log (99.99%) inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus within 5 min, with ONOO⁻ and O 2 ⁻ identified as dominant reactive species. This study presents a scalable and effective plasma‐microbubble technology for safeguarding water quality.