Bacterial disinfection using polymer hybrids

Sol-gel chemistry was adeptly exploited to fabricate polymer based hybrids for solar disinfection to render clean drinking water. The present research study was carried out by inclusion of different proportions of titania (2.5 and 7.5 wt. %) that covalently cross-linked with the polymer matrix. In addition to morphological studies, the optical band gap and wavelength absorbed was investigated through UV-Vis absorption spectra. Moreover, the efficacy of photocatalytic antimicrobial activity of polymer based hybrids was evaluated using source water with controlled amount of total coliform that causes waterborne diseases. This research provided a green synthesis approach for water disinfection along with no disinfection byproduct formation, thus, rendering energy efficient and cost-effective water disinfection.