Pholocatalytic Degradation of E.coli Membrane Cell in the Presence of ZnO Nanowires

The photocatalytic degradation of E.coli membrane cell by ZnO nanowires was studied using field-emission scanning electron microscope(FE-SEM), fluorescence microscopy, and Attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared(ATR-FTIR). The outer membrane of E.coli was removed completely in the presence of ZnO nanowires under UV irradiation, and the cells became twisted shapes without a mechanically strong network. After ZnO nanowires photocatalysis, the permeability of the treated cells increased to some degree that could be confirmed by quantum dots labeling technique. Structural changes in the cell wall membrane were revealed by the decay of the characteristic groups bands in ATR-FTIR spectra.