Antimicrobial Properties of Copper-Doped ZnO Coatings under Darkness and White Light Illumination

We report the first antimicrobial study of transparent and robust Cudoped ZnO coatings that displayed potent antimicrobial activity that resulted in bacterial (Escherichia coli) reduction below detection limits within 6 h of illumination via a white light source that is found in hospital environments. The same bacterial reduction rate was observed even under darkness for 4.0 atom % Cudoped ZnO films thus providing an efficient 24 h disinfection. All films were produced via a novel, inexpensive, and easily scalable route and were also thoroughly analyzed for their material properties.