Study on the Inactivation of Bacteria Associated with Hospital Environments using Titanium and Iron Metal Oxides in Suspension

This research work presents the structural and photocatalytic modification of TiO2, widely used for bacteria disinfection. One of the drawbacks of TiO2 is its absorption in the UV region and high recombination. In this regard, as a strategy to address this issue, iron(III) has been incorporated into the surface, taking advantage of the hydroxylated species on the TiO2 surface. This interaction promotes new electronic transitions in the visible region, thus enabling its application in hospital environments irradiated with visible LED light. The material was characterized using spectroscopic, electrochemical, and morphological techniques to understand its structural and optical properties. Subsequently, a correlation was made with the disinfection properties against a bacterium commonly found in hospital environments, such as E. coli. It is found that the incorporation of iron(III) enables the production of superoxide anion radicals, with an Eg= 2.08 V, and valence and conduction band potentials of 1.766 V and -0.314 V respectively. The difference in disinfection between SUNTEST and LED irradiation lies in the time required. In the former case, 20 minutes are sufficient, while in the latter, 6 hours are needed. However, incorporating LEDs in hospitals is easier and allows this technology to be implemented in real environments. This work contributes significantly to interdisciplinary proposals that address public health needs and fundamentally contribute to the understanding of disinfection mechanisms.

• Autores: Angulo Paternina, Elba Rosario
• Fecha de publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/48033
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/10495/48033
• Palabra clave: Fotoquímica; Photochemistry; Bacterias; Bacteria; Desinfección; Disinfection; Inactivación de bacterias; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D010777; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D001419; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D004203; ODS 3: Salud y bienestar. Garantizar una vida sana y promover el bienestar de todos a todas las edades
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/