Antibacterial properties of TiO2 modified with reduced graphene oxide

- The TiO2-rGO samples were obtained by hydrothermal method and calcination at 100 °C.
- Modification with rGO improved antibacterial activity under artificial solar light.
- Antimicrobial properties depends on the carbon content and zeta potential.

In this paper, the antibacterial activity of titanium dioxide modified with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was presented. TiO2/rGO photocatalysts were prepared by the hydrothermal method under elevated pressure at 180 °C and heated at 100 °C in Ar flow. The obtained photocatalysts were characterized by means of XRD, FTIR/DRS, UV-vis/DR, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The carbon content was also examined. FTIR/DRS and Raman analysis confirmed the presence of rGO in the TiO2 structure, suggesting a successful modification. The antimicrobial photoactivity of photocatalysts was conducted against E. coli under an artificial solar light. The results show that all TiO2/rGO photocatalysts exhibited an antibacterial activity higher than unmodified TiO2. The best result was found for sample with 1.5 wt% additive of reduced graphene oxide. In this case, total inactivation of E. coli was noticed after 75 min of irradiation. It was found that the presence of rGO in sample improves the antimicrobial activity.