Antibacterial property of CuCrO2 thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering deposition

The present study investigates the antibacterial properties of CuCrO2 thin film surfaces against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. Single-phase delafossite type copper-chromium oxide (CuCrO2) thin films were prepared on glass substrate by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, followed by two-step post-deposition annealing at 400 degrees C with 5% forming gas and at 600 degrees C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The structure of the CuCrO2 thin films was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The transmittance properties were measured by a UV-Vis spectrometer. The ISO 22196 method was utilized to evaluate the colony forming unit (CFU) of E. coli on the CuCrO2 surface after several hours. The experimental results find the CuCrO2 surface to exhibit superior antibacterial performance and an optical transparency of >70% in the visible region with a thickness of 100 nm. A novel transparent antibacterial coating has been demonstrated in the present study. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.