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New Processes and Applications of Plasma in Liquids
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New Processes and Applications of Plasma in Liquids

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 3485

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ricardo Molina

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Surfactants Technology, Plasma Chemistry Group (CSIC), Institute of Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC), Barcelona, Spain
Interests: plasma agriculture; atmospheric plasmas; polymer surface functionalization; plasma in liquids; plasma treatment of biomaterials; plasma-assisted polymerization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

When applying plasma to a liquid, various chemical species are generated in both the gas and the liquid. In aqueous solutions, mainly electrons, ions, ultraviolet radiation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen species (RNS), ozone, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), singlet oxygen (O), superoxides (O₂⁻), hydroxyl radicals (OH), and nitrogen oxides (NO, NO₂, and ONOO⁻) are produced. These chemical species are highly reactive, enabling various reactions and chemical processes of particular relevance in the application of plasma in agriculture, biology, or medicine, given that living organisms have a high water content in their cells and tissues. Other relevant application fields include the use of plasma for the removal of contaminants in water, the initiation of polymerization processes of monomers present in liquids, and even the promotion of hydrogel formation from polymer solutions via plasma. This Special Issue calls for original articles and reviews exploring these intriguing aspects.

Dr. Ricardo Molina
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • plasma in liquids
  • water decontamination
  • plasma-activated water
  • hydrogels
  • plasma medicine
  • polymerization in liquids
  • plasma agriculture

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

34 pages, 3075 KB  
Article
Enhanced Plant Growth on Simulated Martian Regolith via Water Chemistry Optimisation: The Role of RONS and Nano/Micro-Bubbles
by Syamlal Sasi, Priyanka Prakash, Steve Hayden, David Dooley, Richard Poiré, Tao Hu, Janith Weerasinghe, Igor Levchenko, Karthika Prasad and Katia Alexander
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(17), 8318; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26178318 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1302
Abstract
Development of sustainable agriculture on Mars is a critical step towards its colonisation. However, Martian regolith is coarse-grained, and its mineral profile differs significantly from that of terrestrial arable soil, resulting in poor seed germination success and stunted plant development. This study investigates [...] Read more.
Development of sustainable agriculture on Mars is a critical step towards its colonisation. However, Martian regolith is coarse-grained, and its mineral profile differs significantly from that of terrestrial arable soil, resulting in poor seed germination success and stunted plant development. This study investigates whether germination success and plant growth can be improved by exposing seeds and plants to water enriched with either i) biochemically active reactive oxygen and nitrogen species generated by atmospheric pressure plasma (PAW) or (ii) nano-/micro-bubbles and minerals such as potassium and calcium extracted from Aquapulse® feldspar (APW), a type of rock that is readily available on Mars, at different stages of the crop lifecycle. As a crop model, microgreen crops of B. oleracea and M. sativa are chosen for their short growth cycle, low resource requirements, and high nutritional value. For B. oleracea crops, soaking of seeds in PAW followed by irrigation with APW led to an increase in germination by ~566.7%, in biomass by 412.4%, and in chlorophyll content by 17.7% compared to crops grown using normal water for seed soaking and irrigation. For M. sativa crops, the use of APW for soaking and irrigation yielded an increase of 41.7% in seed germination and 45.2% in crop biomass, whereas the use of PAW for both soaking and irrigation resulted in the greatest improvement in seed germination, 41.7%, when compared to control. These results suggest that, with further optimisation, a regiment of treatment with PAW and APW in place of normal water can be used to address stage-specific challenges of the crop lifecycle in Martian regolith. As amending Martian regolith with a minimum of 1% organic matter is required to promote healthy plant development, further studies should investigate the use of plasma-mediated reforming of biowaste for in situ production of e.g., biochar. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Processes and Applications of Plasma in Liquids)
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22 pages, 11015 KB  
Article
Plasma-Functionalized Liquids for Decontamination of Viable Tissues: A Comparative Approach
by Alexander Pogoda, Yuanyuan Pan, Monika Röntgen and Sybille Hasse
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(19), 10791; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms251910791 - 8 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1449
Abstract
Plasma-functionalized liquids (PFLs) are rich in chemical species, such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical and nitrogen oxides, commonly referred to as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Therefore, manifold applications are being investigated for their use in medicine, agriculture, and [...] Read more.
Plasma-functionalized liquids (PFLs) are rich in chemical species, such as ozone, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical and nitrogen oxides, commonly referred to as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). Therefore, manifold applications are being investigated for their use in medicine, agriculture, and the environment. Depending on the goal, a suitable plasma source concept for the generation of PFLs has to be determined because the plasma generation setup determines the composition of reactive species. This study investigates three PFL-generating plasma sources—two spark discharges and a flow dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) system—for their efficacy in eliminating microbial contaminants from tissue samples aiming to replace antibiotics in the rinsing process. The final goal is to use these tissues as a cell source for cell-based meat production in bioreactors and thereby completely avoid antibiotics. Initially, a physicochemical characterization was conducted to better understand the decontamination capabilities of PFLs and their potential impact on tissue viability. The results indicate that the flow DBD system demonstrated the highest antimicrobial efficacy due to its elevated reactive species output and the possibility of direct treatment of tissues while tissue integrity remained. Achieving a balance between effective large-scale decontamination and the biocompatibility of PFLs remains a critical challenge. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Processes and Applications of Plasma in Liquids)
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