Photocatalytically Active Titania Layers: Production at Ambient Temperature and Characterisation of Biological Properties Sidney Chappuis, Anna Campiche, Damien Gillie ´ron, Eva Maria Moser,* Jukka Lausmaa, Armin Reller Introduction For several decades, products using various forms and modifications of the material titanium and titanium dioxides (titania, TiO 2 , TiO x ) have been increasingly applied due to the chemical stability and environmentally benign properties. Among the outstanding physical, chemical, and biological properties of titanium dioxide, the high refractive index and bright white colour of titanium dioxide powder combined with its resistance to discoloration under UV radiation make it an effective opacifier for pigments. Titania coatings are known to resist to heat, most chemicals, scratches, and they are able to protect the underlying substrate from diffusion of gases or liquids and – as a crucial consequence – from ageing. Titania layers with high photoactivity are of interest for various industrial applications, such as for self-cleaning and/or anti-fogging surfaces, with the speciality of the photo-induced switch- able change in wettability, and the photocatalytic degrada- tion of air and water pollutants. [1–4] In particular, the attractive self-cleaning surfaces and disinfecting properties under exposure to natural or artificial UV radiation have become a focal point of interest. In an ideal case, the organic pollutants may be completely destroyed – i.e., converted into carbon dioxide and water – due to the oxidation– Full Paper S. Chappuis, A. Campiche, D. Gillie ´ron, E. M. Moser University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, rue de la Prairie 4, CH-1202 Gene `ve, Switzerland Fax: þ41 22 546 26 11; E-mail: eva-maria.moser@hesge.ch J. Lausmaa SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Box 857, SE-501 15 Bora ˚s, Sweden A. Reller Solid State Chemistry, Institute of Physics, University of Augsburg, Universita ¨tsstrasse 1, 86159 Augsburg, Germany The production of phase-pure, photocatalytically active titania layers at ambient temperature is described. This novel synthesis route has been achieved by using direct-current reactive magnetron sputtering as well as plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition processes. As a consequence substrates degrading under increased temperature such as, e.g., polymers, bio- logical fibres, tissues, etc., may be coated. The obtained titania coatings are characterised with respect to structure, morphology, phase purity and biological activity. The results of these investigations confirm promising and reproducible photocatalytic, biocompa- tible as well as bioactive properties. 440 Plasma Process. Polym. 2009, 6, 440–445 ß 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim DOI: 10.1002/ppap.200930008