Antibacterial Activity of Photocatalytic Titanium Dioxide Thin Films with Photodeposited Silver on the Surface of Sanitary Ware

Abstract

The antibacterial activity of photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films with photodeposited silver on the surface of sanitary ware was studied. Samples were prepared by coating a TiO₂ sol that was calcined at 880°–980°C and photodeposited with silver ions onto the glazed layer of the sanitary ware. The relationships between the antibacterial activity and the fabrication conditions were investigated by X‐ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and colorimetry. The phase of TiO₂ identified in the thin films was a mixture of anatase and rutile. The amount of rutile phase increased as the calcination temperature increased, and grain growth of the TiO₂ particles was observed. The activity was dependent on the TiO₂ thickness, the calcination temperature, and the amount of silver. These results suggest that the antibacterial activity was strongly affected by the amount of anatase in the thin films.