Self-cleaning application of mesoporous ZnO, TiO2 and Fe2O3 films with the accommodation of silver nanoparticles for antibacterial activity

•Transparent films of TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 with different layers were synthesized.•Ag NPs was photodeposited on TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 films for antibacterial activity.•Ag/TiO2 films exhibited the best among samples antibactericidal performances.•Ag/-TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 films have the surface plasmon resonance. The infections spread in healthcare circumstances is a growing and persistent issue worldwide, motivated by the development of microbial durability to disinfectants and antibiotics. Self-cleaning or disinfecting is one of the most attractive and promising technologies for glass windows, buildings, operating rooms, and hospitals. The transparent films of mesoporous TiO2, ZnO and Fe2O3 with different layers were synthesized and coated with silver nanoparticles through the sol-gel technique. The contact angles of the Ag/ZnO, Ag/TiO2 or Ag/Fe2O3 films were found to be less than 10°, indicating the obtained films were superhydrophilic. These films were tested for their disinfection ability for different bacteria species under direct light illumination. Results have shown that Ag/TiO2 exhibited strong anti-bactericidal performances, and the Ag/TiO2 1-layer (1L), 2-layer (2L) and 3-layer (3L) films were the best of all treatments producing consistently higher antibacterial activity with Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Bacillus subtilis in the reducing order of efficacy. The exposure time of 3 h was sufficient to reduce the cell counts of bacterial strains. The reason behind the higher antibacterial activity of Ag/TiO2, Ag/ZnO and Ag/Fe2O3 films compared with pristine ZnO, Fe2O3 and TiO2 films might be the surface plasmon resonance of Ag nanoparticles. The small Ag clusters create sinks for electrons, thus expediting the photoinduced electron- holes separation and enhancing the antibacterial activity. Therefore, the highest antibacterial activity observed for the Ag/TiO2 films was referred to as the most effective separation of charge carriers during the fast charge transfer. [Display omitted]