Artificial aging induced changes in ZnO- and TiO₂-based polyacrylic surface coatings
Source abstract
Abstract
Using durable photocatalytically active antibacterial surface coatings is a promising strategy to passively reduce transmission of harmful bacteria. However, as such coatings traditionally act via the production of reactive oxygen species, there is a risk that with time their integrity will be compromised. In this work stability, photocatalytic and antibacterial activity of UVA activable ZnO micro/nanoparticle and P25 TiO₂ nanoparticle-based polyacrylic surface coatings was studied during artificial ageing that was carried out over 9 weeks under UVA and high relative humidity. Analysis of SEM images and FTIR spectra indicated that polyacrylic matrix immobilized ZnO had minimal effect on physical and chemical stability of the coatings while TiO₂ severely degraded the acrylic polymer matrix. These changes led to significantly increased light-induced antibacterial activity of the UV-A aged TiO2 coatings compared with their initial versions. This combined with the observation on displacement of TiO2 material on UVA-aged surface coatings indicated poor stability of TiO2-based surface coatings under real-life use relevant aging conditions. On the other hand, ZnO-based surfaces retained their photocatalytic activity and although their antimicrobial efficacy slightly decreased during aging, they remained sufficiently active to induce bacterial killing within meaningful timeframe (e.g., 30 min).
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells · Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications · Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (53)
Show source-provided references
1. Cobrado, L., Silva-Dias, A., Azevedo, M. & Rodrigues, A. High-touch surfaces: microbial neighbours at hand. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 36, 2053–2062 (2017).10.1007/s10096-017-3042-4 ↗
2. Kundrapu, S., Sunkesula, V., Jury, L., Sitzlar, B. & Donskey, C. Daily Disinfection of High-Touch Surfaces in Isolation Rooms to Reduce Contamination of Healthcare Workers’ Hands. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 33, 1039–1042 (2012).10.1086/667730 ↗
3. Swartjes, J. et al. Current Developments in Antimicrobial Surface Coatings for Biomedical Applications. Curr. Med. Chem. 22, 2116–2129 (2015).10.2174/0929867321666140916121355 ↗
4. Burke, G. H. & Butler, J. P. Analysis of the role of copper impregnated composite hard surfaces, bed linens and patient gowns in reducing healthcare-associated infection rates. Int. J. Infect. Control. 14 https://doi.org/10.3396/IJIC.v14i1.005.18 (2018).10.3396/IJIC.v14i1.005.18 ↗
5. Casey, A. et al. Role of copper in reducing hospital environment contamination. J. Hosp. Infect. 74, 72–77 (2010).10.1016/j.jhin.2009.08.018 ↗
6. Mikolay, A. et al. Survival of bacteria on metallic copper surfaces in a hospital trial. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 87, 1875–1879 (2010).10.1007/s00253-010-2640-1 ↗
7. Salgado, C. et al. Copper Surfaces Reduce the Rate of Healthcare-Acquired Infections in the Intensive Care Unit. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 34, 479–486 (2013).10.1086/670207 ↗
8. Cadd, S., Islam, M., Manson, P. & Bleay, S. Fingerprint composition and aging: A literature review. Sci. Justice 55, 219–238 (2015).10.1016/j.scijus.2015.02.004 ↗
9. Joost, U. et al. Photocatalytic antibacterial activity of nano-TiO2 (anatase)-based thin films: Effects on Escherichia coli cells and fatty acids. J. Photochem. Photobiol. 142, 178–185 (2015).10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2014.12.010 ↗
10. Wolfrum, E. et al. Photocatalytic oxidation of bacteria, bacterial and fungal spores, and model biofilm components to carbon dioxide on titanium dioxide-coated surfaces. Environ. Sci. Technol. 36, 3412–3419 (2002).10.1021/es011423j ↗
11. Carp, O., Huisman, C. & Reller, A. Photoinduced reactivity of titanium dioxide. Prog. Solid State Chem. 32, 33–177 (2004).10.1016/j.progsolidstchem.2004.08.001 ↗
12. Ohtani, B., Prieto-Mahaney, O., Li, D. & Abe, R. What is Degussa (Evonik) P25? Crystalline composition analysis, reconstruction from isolated pure particles and photocatalytic activity test. J. Photochem. Photobiol. 216, 179–182 (2010).10.1016/j.jphotochem.2010.07.024 ↗
13. Ghosh, R., Sahu, R., Ganguly, R., Zhitomirsky, I. & Puri, I. Photocatalytic activity of electrophoretically deposited TiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles on fog harvesting meshes. Ceramics Int 46, 3777–3785 (2020).10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.10.100 ↗
14. Ong, C., Ng, L. & Mohammad, A. A review of ZnO nanoparticles as solar photocatalysts: Synthesis, mechanisms and applications. Renew. Sust. Energ. 81, 536–551 (2018).10.1016/j.rser.2017.08.020 ↗
15. Kumar, S. & Rao, K. Comparison of modification strategies towards enhanced charge carrier separation and photocatalytic degradation activity of metal oxide semiconductors (TiO2, WO3 and ZnO). Appl Surface Sci 391, 124–148 (2017).10.1016/j.apsusc.2016.07.081 ↗
16. Xiang, Q., Yu, J. & Wong, P. Quantitative characterization of hydroxyl radicals produced by various photocatalysts. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 357, 163–167 (2011).10.1016/j.jcis.2011.01.093 ↗
17. Dimitropoulos, M. et al. Unveiling the photocorrosion mechanism of zinc oxide photocatalyst: Interplay between surface corrosion and regeneration. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 12, 112102 (2024).10.1016/j.jece.2024.112102 ↗
18. Marcelis, E., ten Elshof, J. & Morales-Masis, M. Titanium Dioxide: A Versatile Earth-Abundant Optical Material for Photovoltaics. Adv. Optical Mater. 12, 202401423 (2024).10.1002/adom.202401423 ↗
19. Chabalala, M., Gumbi, N., Mamba, B., Al-Abri, M. & Nxumalo, E. Photocatalytic Nanofiber Membranes for the Degradation of Micropollutants and Their Antimicrobial Activity: Recent Advances and Future Prospects. Membranes 11, 11090678, https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes11090678 (2021).10.3390/membranes11090678 ↗
20. Jalvo, B., Faraldos, M., Bahamonde, A. & Rosal, R. Antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy of self-cleaning surfaces functionalized by TiO2 photocatalytic nanoparticles against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas putida. J. Haz. Mat. 340, 160–170 (2017).10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.07.005 ↗
21. Kaewkam, P. et al. UV-assisted TiO2 photocatalytic degradation of virgin LDPE films: Effect of UV-A, UV-C, and TiO2. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 10, 108131 (2022).10.1016/j.jece.2022.108131 ↗
22. Amato, P. et al. Eco-sustainable design of humic acids-doped ZnO nanoparticles for UVA/light photocatalytic degradation of LLDPE and PLA plastics. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 11, 109003 (2023).10.1016/j.jece.2022.109003 ↗
23. He, Y. et al. Photocatalytic degradation of different types of microplastics by TiOx/ZnO tetrapod photocatalysts. Heliyon 9, e22562 (2023).
24. Uheida, A., Mejia, H., Abdel-Rehim, M., Hamd, W. & Dutta, J. Visible light photocatalytic degradation of polypropylene microplastics in a continuous water flow system. J. Haz. Mat. 406, 124299 (2021).10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124299 ↗
25. Lam, S. et al. Ameliorated photodegradation performance of polyethylene and polystyrene films incorporated with ZnO-PVP catalyst. J. Environ. Chem.Eng. 10, 107594 (2022).
26. Ataabadi, M. & Jamshidi, M. Improved photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue under visible light using acrylic nanocomposite contained silane grafted nano TiO2. J. Photochem Photobiol. A 443, 114832 (2023).10.1016/j.jphotochem.2023.114832 ↗
27. Dao, P. et al. Acrylic polymer/TiO2 nanocomposite coatings: Mechanism for photo-degradation and solar heat reflective recovery. Mat. Chem. Phys. 272, 124984 (2021).
28. Kook, M. et al. Durability of photocatalytic ZnO-based surface coatings and preservation of their antibacterial effect after simulated wear. J. Coat. Technol. Res. 21, 1005–1016 (2024).10.1007/s11998-023-00868-2 ↗
29. Pazokifard, S., Esfandeh, M. & Mirabedini, S. Photocatalytic activity of water-based acrylic coatings containing fluorosilane treated TiO2 nanoparticles. Prog. Org. Coat. 77, 1325–1335 (2014).10.1016/j.porgcoat.2014.04.010 ↗
30. Rosenberg, M. et al. Preparation and Characterization of Photocatalytically Active Antibacterial Surfaces Covered with Acrylic Matrix Embedded Nano-ZnO and Nano-ZnO/Ag. Nanomaterials 11, 11123384 (2021).10.3390/nano11123384 ↗
31. Velázquez-Palenzuela, A., Dam-Johansen, K. & Christensen, J. Benchmarking of photocatalytic coatings performance and their activation towards pollutants degradation. Prog. Org. Coat. 147, 105856 (2020).
32. Kalinowski, M., Chilmon, K., Kuziak, J., Lukowski, P. & Jackiewicz-Rek, W. Photocatalytically Induced Degradation of Nano-TiO2-Modified Paint Coatings Under Low-Radiation Conditions. Coatings 15, 1503028 (2025).
33. Basso, A., Battisti, A., Moreira, R. F. P. M. & José, H. J. Photocatalytic effect of addition of TiO. Environ. Technol. 41, 1568–1579 (2020).10.1080/09593330.2018.1542034 ↗
34. Nguyen, T. et al. Photocatalytic degradation and heat reflectance recovery of waterborne acrylic polymer/ZnO nanocomposite coating. J Appl. Polymer Sci. 137, 49116 (2020).
35. Ulanski, P., Bothe, E. & von Sonntag, C. OH radical induced depolymerization of poly(methacrylic acid). Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. B. 151, 350–355 (2012).10.1016/S0168-583X(99)00078-6 ↗
36. Willis, H. A., Zichy, V. J. I. & Hendra, P. J. The laser-Raman and infra-red spectra of poly(methyl methacrylate). Polymer 10, 737–746 (1969).10.1016/0032-3861(69)90101-3 ↗
37. Shin, H. et al. Glass transition temperature and conformational changes of poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films determined by a two-dimensional map representation of temperature-dependent reflection-absorption FTIR spectra. Langmuir 18, 5953–5958 (2002).10.1021/la020258y ↗
38. Kayani, Z., Iqbal, M., Riaz, S., Zia, R. & Naseem, S. Fabrication and properties of zinc oxide thin film prepared by sol-gel dip coating method. Mat. Sci. Poland. 33 https://doi.org/10.1515/msp-2015-0085 (2015).10.1515/msp-2015-0085 ↗
39. Winiarski, J., Tylus, W., Winiarska, K., Szczygiel, I. & Szczygiel, B. XPS and FT-IR Characterization of Selected Synthetic Corrosion Products of Zinc Expected in Neutral Environment Containing Chloride Ions. J. Spectroscopy. 2018, 2079278 (2018).10.1155/2018/2079278 ↗
40. Balajka, J. et al. High-affinity adsorption leads to molecularly ordered interfaces on TiO2 in air and solution. Science 361, 786–788 (2018).10.1126/science.aat6752 ↗
41. León, A. et al. FTIR and Raman Characterization of TiO2 Nanoparticles Coated with Polyethylene Glycol as Carrier for 2-Methoxyestradiol. Appl. Sci. 7, 7010049 (2017).10.3390/app7010049 ↗
42. Chekir, N., Benhabiles, O., Tassalit, D., Laoufi, N. & Bentahar, F. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in aqueous suspensions using TiO2 and ZnO. Desalin. Water Treat. 57, 6141–6147 (2016).10.1080/19443994.2015.1060533 ↗
43. Han, C., Yang, M., Weng, B. & Xu, Y. Improving the photocatalytic activity and anti-photocorrosion of semiconductor ZnO by coupling with versatile carbon. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 16, 16891–16903 (2014).10.1039/C4CP02189D ↗
44. Kislov, N. et al. Photocatalytic Degradation of Methyl Orange over Single Crystalline ZnO: Orientation Dependence of Photoactivity and Photostability of ZnO. Langmuir 25, 3310–3315 (2009).10.1021/la803845f ↗
45. Li, Y. et al. Comparison of Dye Photodegradation and its Coupling with Light-to-Electricity Conversion over TiO2 and ZnO. Langmuir 26, 591–597 (2010).10.1021/la902117c ↗
46. Schmidt, J. & Vogelsberger, W. Aqueous Long-Term Solubility of Titania Nanoparticles and Titanium(IV) Hydrolysis in a Sodium Chloride System Studied by Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry. J. Solution Chem. 38, 1267–1282 (2009).10.1007/s10953-009-9445-9 ↗
47. Leung, Y. et al. Antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles with a modified surface under ambient illumination. Nanotechnology 23, 475703 (2012).10.1088/0957-4484/23/47/475703 ↗
48. Mendes, C. et al. Antibacterial action and target mechanisms of zinc oxide nanoparticles against bacterial pathogens. Sci. Rep. 12, 2658 (2022).
49. Wei, Y. et al. Nanomaterial-Based Zinc Ion Interference Therapy to Combat Bacterial Infections. Front. Immunol. 13, 899992 (2022).
50. Sirelkhatim, A. et al. Review on Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Antibacterial Activity and Toxicity Mechanism. Nanomicro Lett 7, 219–242 (2015).
51. Ng, Y. et al. Antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles under ambient illumination - The effect of nanoparticle properties. Thin Solid Films 542, 368–372 (2013).10.1016/j.tsf.2013.05.167 ↗
52. Jiang, X. et al. Anatase and rutile in evonik aeroxide P25: Heterojunctioned or individual nanoparticles? Catal. Today 300, 12–17 (2018).10.1016/j.cattod.2017.06.010 ↗
53. Repetto, G., del Peso, A. & Zurita, J. Neutral red uptake assay for the estimation of cell viability/cytotoxicity. Nat. Prot. 3, 1125–1131 (2008).10.1038/nprot.2008.75 ↗