EN
Easy-to-clean and easy-to-disinfect surfaces play a key role in keeping the right sanitary and hygienic standards in hospitals, veterinary clinics and food processing plants. In recent years, due to the development of nanotechnology, self-cleaning and self-disinfecting surfaces are applied on an increasing scale. They are covered by photocatalytic surfaces made of nanomaterials (NMs) on which, upon exposure to the ultraviolet radiation, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can take place. Those processes present an effective method of bacteria eradication. One of the most studied AOPs in relation to microorganism eradication is the TiO₂/ UV-process, where titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is used as a photocatalyst, and the ultraviolet radiation (UV) is used as an agent generating free radicals. The high efficiency of the gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria inactivation by the methods using photocatalytic properties of nano-sized TiO₂ (nano-TiO₂) contributes towards its increasing application. Disinfection based on free radicals reactions is considered to become one of the most promising tools to solve difficult problems related to hygiene and public health protection in the near future.