Pulsed Ozone–Thermal Cycling in a Plasma Disinfection Strategy: Achieving Deep-Layer Bacterial Inactivation With Reduced Material Degradation

Plasma disinfection faces challenges of residual ozone hazard, material degradation, and insufficient deep-layer bacterial inactivation. We propose a pulsed ozone–thermal cycling strategy using dielectric barrier discharge, alternating ozone generation and hot-air heating within a 40 min cycle. Among three pulsed modes benchmarked against continuous ozone treatment, the optimal high-frequency mode reduced cumulative ozone exposure by 73.2%. It nevertheless produced the greatest deep-layer CFU reduction: 4.18 log₁₀ in three-layer wet textiles versus 1.38 log₁₀ under continuous operation. This is attributed to periodic moisture evaporation and fiber deswelling that reopen pore channels for deeper ozone penetration. The optimal mode simultaneously minimized material degradation and eliminated residual ozone, demonstrating an effective balance among bacterial inactivation efficacy, material preservation, and operational safety.