Photocatalytic self-cleaning and antibacterial activity of modified wood by Ag doped TiO2 nanoparticles

The use of nanoparticles has attracted widespread attention in surface science to improve the characteristics of substrates such as thermal stability, corrosion resistance, self-cleaning, and antibacterial effects. Nonetheless, porous materials like wood have received limited attention due to their inherent absorbency. This study aims to evaluate the antibacterial and photo-activity of modified wood employing Ag-doped TiO2 coating applied on the wood surface. The main characteristics of the modified wood were measured through XRD, SEM, AFM, TGA, and DRS analysis to determine structure and crystallinity, shape of particles, physical modifications of the wood surface, degradation rate, band gap alterations, and light absorbance, respectively. Methylene blue indicator witnessed a photo-degradation rate of 90 percent under UV irradiation after 21 h. This rate was observed at around 38 percent under irradiation of visible light. All in all, the modified wood underwent less color change whereas the parent wood witnessed a major change regarding its color. The antibacterial properties of wood were also measured. Two bacterial infections, S. Aureus and E. Coli, were employed for the following experiments. The results illustrated that the coating was able to reduce the amount of colonization and adhesion of E. Coli by 50 % and S. Aureus to zero.