Visible light photoinactivation of bacteria by tungsten oxide nanostructures formed on a tungsten foil

Antibacterial activity of tungsten oxide nanorods/microrods were studied against Escherichia coli bacteria under visible light irradiation and in dark. A two-step annealing process at temperatures up to 390°C and 400-800°C was applied to synthesize the tungsten oxide nanorods/microrods on tungsten foils using KOH as a catalyst. Annealing the foils at 400°C in the presence of catalyst resulted in formation of tungsten oxide nanorods (with diameters of 50-90 nm and crystalline phase of WO3) on surface of tungsten foils. By increasing the annealing temperature up to 800°C, tungsten oxide microrods with K2W6O19 crystalline phase were formed on the foils. The WO3 nanorods showed a strong antibacterial property under visible light irradiation, corresponding to >92% bacterial inactivation within 24 h irradiation at room temperature, while the K2W6O19 microrods formed at 800°C could inactivate only ~45% of the bacteria at the same conditions.