Highly efficient F, Cu doped TiO2 anti-bacterial visible light active photocatalytic coatings to combat hospital-acquired infections

Bacterial infections are a major threat to the health of patients in healthcare facilities including\ud hospitals. One of the major causes of patient morbidity is infection with Staphylococcus aureus. One\ud of the the most dominant nosocomial bacteria, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)\ud have been reported to survive on hospital surfaces (e.g. privacy window glasses) for up to 5 months.\ud None of the current anti-bacterial technology is efficient in eliminating Staphylococcus aureus. A novel\ud transparent, immobilised and superhydrophilic coating of titanium dioxide, co-doped with fluorine and\ud copper has been prepared on float glass substrates. Antibacterial activity has demonstrated (by using\ud Staphylococcus aureus), resulting from a combination of visible light activated (VLA) photocatalysis and\ud copper ion toxicity. Co-doping with copper and fluorine has been shown to improve the performance of\ud the coating, relative to a purely fluorine-doped VLA photocatalyst. Reductions in bacterial population of\ud log10 = 4.2 under visible light irradiation and log10 = 1.8 in darkness have been achieved, compared with\ud log10 = 1.8 under visible light irradiation and no activity, for a purely fluorine-doped titania. Generation\ud of reactive oxygen species from the photocatalytic coatings is the major factor that significantly reduces\ud the bacterial growth on the glass surfaces