JOURNAL OF SOL-GEL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, cilt.56, sa.3, ss.227-235, 2010 (SCI-Expanded)
This paper describes the preparation and characterization of glass films consisting of SiO2, Li2O, Na2O, K2O or MgO in varying compositions on stainless steel and aluminum substrates by sol-gel method. Silver phosphate or silver incorporated zeolite was also introduced into the sols for obtaining antibacterial effect. The SiO2/Li2O/Na2O system having the composition of 85:5:10 wt% was found as the optimum for obtaining a stable sol and film formation. The films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDX), Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Homogenous films having 300 +/- A 20 nm thicknesses were formed by spin coating and then by curing at 500 A degrees C for 1 h. Obtained films had high adherence to the metal substrates and they were also durable in acidic, basic or NaCl environments. They also presented a powerful antibacterial effect against E. coli.