Transparent bactericidal coatings based on zinc and cerium oxides

Abstract

Abstract The article presents the results of studying the transparent bactericidal oxide coatings prepared on a glass surface using the solutions of polyvinylpyrrolidone and zinc and cerium (III) nitrates. Mixed oxide coatings were studied by spectroscopic and luminescent methods, SEM, XRD, and DSC –TG analysis and their antibacterial activities of the coatings against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 209P bacteria were tested. Mixed oxide coatings prepared are transparent in the visible, are able to generate singlet oxygen under the UV irradiation, and demonstrate the bactericidal properties. It was shown that the band gap of the coating material and its transparency in the UV increase with a decrease in the ZnO content of mixed oxide coatings. A mixed oxide coating containing about 90% zinc oxide demonstrates the highest bactericidal properties. The deposition technique described is simple and bactericidal oxide coatings developed are inexpensive, which may be of importance for their practical applications.