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. 2013 Oct 4;3(1):59.
doi: 10.1186/2191-0855-3-59.

Photocatalytic bacterial inactivation by TiO2-coated surfaces

Silvia Bonetta  1 , Sara Bonetta, Francesca Motta, Alberto Strini, Elisabetta Carraro
Affiliations

Photocatalytic bacterial inactivation by TiO2-coated surfaces

Silvia Bonetta et al. AMB Express. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the photoactivated antibacterial activity of titanium dioxide (TiO2)-coated surfaces. Bacterial inactivation was evaluated using TiO2-coated Petri dishes. The experimental conditions optimized with Petri dishes were used to test the antibacterial effect of TiO2-coated ceramic tiles. The best antibacterial effect with Petri dishes was observed at 180, 60, 30 and 20 min of exposure for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas putida and Listeria innocua, respectively. The ceramic tiles demonstrated a photoactivated bactericidal effect at the same exposure time. In general, no differences were observed between the antibacterial effect obtained with Petri dishes and tiles. However, the photochemical activity of Petri dishes was greater than the activity of the tiles.Results obtained indicates that the TiO2-coated surfaces showed a photoactivated bactericidal effect with all bacteria tested highlighting that the titania could be used in the ceramic and building industry for the production of coated surfaces to be placed in microbiologically sensitive environments, such as the hospital and food industry.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the UV-irradiation system. (a) Petri-dish system (b) Treated tiles system.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Experimental set-up for the measurement of the MB photocatalytic degradation activity (not to scale). The entire system, including the magnetic stirrer (not shown), is enclosed in a closed ventilated box.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Antibacterial activity of P25-coated Petri dishes on different bacterial species. (a)E. coli(b)S. aureus(c)P. putida(d)L. innocua. Dashed line and (*) indicates an unavailable trend estimation because of the zero survival of the next-step sample.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Antibacterial activity of TiO2-coated ceramic tiles compared with P25 Petri dish on different bacterial species. (a)E. coli(b)S. aureus(c)P. putida(d)L. innocua. The exposure time te is indicated on each plot.
Figure 5
Figure 5
MB degradation rate at 1 mmol m-3 (1 μM) MB for P25 Petri and tile samples. The BN and TN samples are not shown because the MB degradation without irradiation is negligible. Estimated errors ± 10 % + 0.05 nmol m-2 s-1.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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