Surfactant-assisted ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel dip coating for applied antibacterial coatings: a comparative study with solvothermal-derived ZnO powders

ZnO nanostructures including films and powders were synthesized using sol-gel dip-coating and solvothermal method, respectively. The synthesis was based on the surfactant-modified method to enhance the antibacterial activity of ZnO samples by tailoring size, shape, facet and hydrophilicity using different surfactants. The different surfactants were used containing anionic (sodium n-dodecyl sulfate), cationic (cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) and non-ionic (Triton X-100). Escherichia coli (ATCC 29213) was selected as bacterial model to evaluate antibacterial activity under UV-illumination, visible-illumination and dark. It seems that the highly active [0002] polar plane, smaller particle size and greater hydrophilicity of ZnO samples improved antibacterial activity. The antibacterial performance of ZnO samples as a function of their structural, morphological, optical and surface features such as particle size, bandgap, visible/UV light absorbing capacity and hydrophilicity was discussed in detail. Surfactant-assisted c-axis preference of ZnO nanoparticles. [GRAPHICS] .