Self-sterilizing and self-cleaning of silicone catheters coated with TiO(2) photocatalyst thin films: a preclinical work.

TiO(2) photocatalysts were successfully coated on silicone catheters or medical tubes by pretreatment of the silicone surface with a sulfuric acid solution (5 M) for 3 h. The TiO(2) film adhered to the silicone substrate strongly against tensile and bending stresses. On the TiO(2)-coated silicone-catheters under UV illumination, both the bleaching of methylene blue dye and the photocatalytic bactericidal effect on Escherichia coli (E. coli) cells were confirmed. Thus, this type of catheter can be sterilized and cleaned simply by irradiation with low-intensity UV light and can, therefore, be useful in the protection from catheter-related bacterial infections. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.