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@article{194524,
        author = {Susan Jessica V and Hannah Jael A and Pearly Princess J},
        title = {Hybrid UV-C and Ultrasonic Cavitation-Based Sterilization System for Chemical-Free Pathogen Inactivation in Medical Nebulizers.},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {5093-5103},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=194524},
        abstract = {Medical nebulizers are commonly used in respiratory therapy to treat health conditions like post-infection recovery, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the lack of proper sterilization of the nebulizer chambers may cause the repeated use of the device to become a possible cause of secondary infections. In general, the sterilization process mostly relies on the application of heat or the use of disinfectants. Although these methods are effective, the process may cause the formation of toxic residues, degrade the polymer materials, require a longer sterilization period, or be incompatible with the design of the device. To develop a novel sterilization process for the chemical-free inactivation of pathogens in the nebulizer chambers, the proposed study introduces a new sterilization system by combining the effects of ultrasonic cavitation and ultraviolet-C light. This new sterilization system is based on the generation of reactive oxygen species and the application of a synergistic effect between the two mechanisms. In the proposed study, a synergy model is introduced to quantify the benefits obtained from the concurrent application of the two mechanisms. The proposed framework introduces a novel, energy-efficient, and residue-free sterilization process, which is applicable to the design of medical nebulizers and portable respiratory therapy devices.},
        keywords = {UV-C Sterilization, Ultrasonic Cavitation, Nebulizer Disinfection, Multiphysics Simulation, Hybrid Sterilization System, Chemical-Free Pathogen Inactivation},
        month = {March},
        }