Photocatalytic and antibacterial properties of ZnO films with different surface topographies on stainless steel substrate

Zinc oxide films with three types of topographies: needle-like and hexagonal rods and flakes, were prepared by hydrothermal synthesis on stainless steel substrates to investigate their photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. The photocatalytic activity was measured with a methylene blue (MB) discoloration test, whereas a method using bioluminescent whole cell bacterial biosensors enabling the constant monitoring of the amount of living cells on the surfaces was used here to study the antibacterial properties. The results showed that photocatalytic activity was clearly influenced by the surface area, which is in turn dependent on the topography. Moreover, it was found that all the examined films decreased notably the amount of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli on the surfaces. Despite significant differences in the surface areas of the studied samples that led to different zinc dissolution rate in aqueous environment, no notable differences in antibacterial activity between the films with different morphologies could be detected. These results are presented and discussed in this paper.