Hydrothermal-assisted synthesis of highly crystalline titania-copper oxide binary systems with enhanced antibacterial properties.

Binary oxide systems containing TiO2 and CuO were synthesized using hydrothermal treatment and shown to have enhanced antibacterial properties. A detailed investigation was made of the effect of the molar ratio of components (TiO2:CuO = 7:3, 5:5, 3:7, 1:9) on the physicochemical parameters and antibacterial activity. Analysis of morphology (SEM, TEM and HRTEM) confirmed the presence of spherical and sheet-shaped particles. On the XRD patterns for the binary oxide materials, two crystalline forms (anatase and monoclinic CuO) were observed.