Photoinduced bactericidal activity againstPseudomonas aeruginosaby TiO2based thin films

Abstract

The photoinduced bactericidal capacity of TiO₂ based films was evaluated, using as model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thin films were obtained by spray pyrolysis; they included undoped, Cu doped, and Al doped TiO₂. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the final effect of the irradiated films upon the bacteria. Depending on the composition and characteristics of the films, quantitative experiments show that bacterial inhibition varies between 28 and 96%. The order of magnitude of the average quantum yield of the films was determined between 10⁻⁹ and 10⁻¹¹ inhibited bacterial per photon.