Quantum Detection

Antibacterial surface coating is an efficient way to the incidence of microbial infections. Often a coating based on TiO2 is utilized because its photocatalysis has been demonstrated to be a competent mechanism for bacteria and fungi peroxidation. Upon insufficient lighting the antibacterial photocatalytic ability of TiO2 is inhibited. Therefore, TiO2 catalytic activity was improved by its combination with silver, silver oxide, apatite or carbon nanotubes. These efforts showed only modest progress, also because they added a different mode of actions and thereby complicated the applicability. Here, as alternative, we report a nanoparticulate composite TiO2-BaTiO3 film which presents an increased antibacterial photocatalytic activity under visible light.