ItemArticle

Broad spectrum antibacterial activity of nanostructured Cu oxide thin films grown via glancing angle sputtering deposition

Title
Broad spectrum antibacterial activity of nanostructured Cu oxide thin films grown via glancing angle sputtering deposition
Creator
Karthikeyan, R.; Priyadarshini, Pragyan; Sarojini, Suma; Cherian, Christie Thomas; Fernandes, Rohan
Description
The demand for antibacterial surfaces has intensified since the recent pandemic, underscoring the need to prevent microbial adhesion on high-contact surfaces. Metallic and metal oxide nanostructures exhibit intrinsic antibacterial properties, motivating the development of scalable, cost-effective fabrication routes for functional coatings. In this study, copper oxide (CuO) thin films were deposited by magnetron sputtering and further nanostructured via glancing angle deposition (GLAD). The films exhibited pronounced antibacterial efficacy, inactivating Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) and Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) with efficiencies over 98% after 8h of exposure. Increasing the deposition angle enhanced surface roughness and hydrophobicity, which directly correlated with higher bacterial inactivation. Longer exposure further improved antibacterial performance, demonstrating time-dependent activity. These results establish GLAD-fabricated CuO thin films as a promising, industrially scalable strategy for next-generation antimicrobial surface coatings. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026.
Source
Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing;Volume;132;Issue;2;Article No.;132;
Date
01-01-2026
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Subject
Antibacterial activity; Copper oxide thin films; DC sputtering; GLAD; Surface coatings
Coverage
Karthikeyan R., CHRIST University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India, Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India; Priyadarshini P., CHRIST University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Sarojini S., CHRIST University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India; Cherian C.T., Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, India; Fernandes R., CHRIST University, Karnataka, Bengaluru, India
Rights
Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
Relation
ISSN: 9478396; CODEN: APAMF
Format
online
Language
English
Type
Article

Citation

Karthikeyan, R.; Priyadarshini, Pragyan; Sarojini, Suma; Cherian, Christie Thomas; Fernandes, Rohan, “Broad spectrum antibacterial activity of nanostructured Cu oxide thin films grown via glancing angle sputtering deposition,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 17, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/21840.

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