Acknowledgements

The advancement of nonlinear models based on UV-C interaction with microorganisms opens novel possibilities for the decontamination and diagnosis of different collective processes, which can occur in viruses, bacteria, or other cellular structures under the action of external UV pulses. The possibility to select the UV radiation, which acts on microorganisms with

The efficient antimicrobial action of the evanescent wave acting around quartz granules in a circulating contaminated translucent liquid when submitted to UV-C irradiation was demonstrated. The treated liquids were polluted water from a natural source, yeast solution, or Kombucha fermented tea, while the radiation was generated by 6 UV-C 30 W lamps. Glass microspheres of 1–3 mm diameter were used in experiments, in comparison with quartz

1. Dynamic treatment regime: The complete annihilation of E. coli and Enterococcus bacteria was observed after 5 min of irradiation; the total elimination of Coliform bacteria was

The fermentation of the liquid containing yeast fungi was completely stopped after 15 min UV-C irradiation in the presence of quartz granules. To the contrary, normal fermentation continues after 20 min of irradiation in the absence of optical metamaterials—the case that

2. Static treatment regime: E. coli bacteria were completely inactivated in the presence of quartz granules after 1 min irradiation, while in the absence of the quartz metamaterials, some colonies were still present inside the analyzed liquid. This convincingly demonstrates the key role of the quartz metamaterial in fluid decontamination under UV-C

Kombucha-fermented tea microorganisms were completely inactivated after 7 min of treatment using quartz unordered metamaterials. After 7 min of treatment in the presence of glass metamaterials, a thin biofilm may still be observed on the sample surface. Therefore, when using quartz granules, the microorganism inactivation is considerably augmented than in the case of using glass spheres. The biofilm formation on the surface of the liquid after 7 min of treatment becomes visible when using glass spheres, or without metamaterials in the core tube. Mat formation contracted in direct relation with

One expects a large increase of the observed effects when passing from simple lamps to laser irradiation, that is, from incoherent to coherent light sources. Also, a significant improvement is expected when using optical fibers for evanescent wave generation

Our results prove that the energy emerging via evanescent waves from multistructures submitted to dynamic irradiation is not in any case lost but efficiently used for antimicrobial action. This can contribute to a positive balance of light propagation through PC and

PCF metamaterials in view of using light sources with maximum efficiency.

minimal effects, was studied and presented herewith.

achieved after 10 min of irradiation.

corresponds to the traditional decontamination method.

unordered granules.

194 Advanced Surface Engineering Research

irradiation.

irradiation dose.

instead, or in tandem with, quartz granules.

This paper was supported by the NATO EAP SFPP 984890, STCU 6140, and 43 NATO/2017 projects.
