Investigating the antifungal activity of TiO2 nanoparticles deposited on branched carbon nanotube arrays

Branched carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays were synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on a silicon substrate. Ni was used as the catalyst and played an important role in the realization of branches in vertically aligned nanotubes. TiO2 nanoparticles on the branched CNTs were produced by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition followed by a 500 degrees C annealing step. Transmission and scanning electron microscopic techniques were used to study the morphology of the TiO2/branched CNT structures while x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy were used to verify the characteristics of the prepared nanostructures. Their antifungal effect on Candida albicans biofilms under visible light was investigated and compared with the activity of TiO2/CNT arrays and thin films of TiO2. The TiO2/branched CNTs showed a highly improved photocatalytic antifungal activity in comparison with the TiO2/CNTs and TiO2 film. The excellent visible light-induced photocatalytic antifungal activity of the TiO2/branched CNTs was attributed to the generation of electron-hole pairs by visible light excitation with a low recombination rate, in addition to the high surface area provided for the interaction between the cells and the nanostructures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the resulting morphological changes in the cell body of the biofilms existing on the antifungal samples.