Co-doped TiO2 nanostructures as a strong antibacterial agent and self-cleaning cover: Synthesis, characterization and investigation of photocatalytic activity under UV irradiation.

The aim of this work was synthesis and investigation of various properties of Co-doped titanium dioxide nanostructures. However, dopant has no effect on XRD pattern of the host but it can influence on the various characteristics of host such as optical and electrical properties. The results of optical properties showed that absorption energy of TiO2 decreases in presence of cobalt as dopant. Red-shift in absorption spectrum that may be due to the excitation of 3d electrons of Co ions to the conduction band of TiO2 can be considered as a strong evidence to confirm the presence of Co as dopant in TiO2 lattice. Photocatalytic activity of products was examined by degradation of three dyes including: Acid Red 1 (A.R.1.), Reactive Blue 21 (R.A.21.) and Acid Blue 74 (A.B.74.) under UV irradiation and antibacterial activity of this product was tested by inhibition of the growth of three bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus and E. coli. High percent of dye degradation and decreasing the contact angle of surfaces in the presence of this product as a cover confirm that Co-doped TiO2 can be used as a self-cleaning cover on various surfaces. The antibacterial activity is another property of this product as an antibacterial agent.