Decorating Parylene-Coated Glass with ZnO Nanoparticles for Antibacterial Applications: A Comparative Study of Sonochemical, Microwave, and Microwave-Plasma Coating Routes

A glass substrate, coated with a Parylene film, was coated with ZnO by three different methods: ultrasound, microwave, and microwave-plasma irradiation. These coating modes are simple, efficient, and environmentally friendly one-step processes. The structure of the coated products was characterized and compared using methods such as XRD, HR-SEM, EDS, RBS, and optical spectroscopy. Coating by ZnO nanoparticles was achieved for all three approaches. The products were found to differ in their particle sizes, coating thickness, and depth of penetration. All of the ZnO Parylene glass composites demonstrated a significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia cob (Gram negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram positive) strains.