Photocatalytic and biocidal activities of novel coating systems of mesoporous and dense TiO₂-anatase containing silver nanoparticles.

Here we describe the development of novel nanostructured coating systems with improved photocatalytic and antibacterial activities. These systems comprise a layer of SiO2 followed by a layer of mesoporous or dense TiO2-anatase, and doping with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The coatings were synthesized via a sol-gel technique by combining colloidal Ag NPs with TiO2 and SiO2 sols.