Biocide Activity of TiO₂ Nanostructured Films

The ability of nanostructured TiO2 in anatase phase to eliminate Escherichia coli (E. coli) by UV light irradiation was tested using titania films supported on glass substrates. The films were obtained by electrophoretic deposition of titania sol on sputtered Ti Corning glass substrates. Experimental procedure used to obtain these films and their characterizations are discussed in this paper. Nanostructure nature of the films was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Optic microscopy was used to study the photocatalytic activity of films and their interaction with E. coli bacteria, in order to measure the reduction in E. coli colonies. The structure of anatase TiO2 was determined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.