According to a proposal, the insides of glass bottles used to store drinking water would be coated with films consisting of or containing TiO₂. In the presence of ultraviolet light, these films would help to remove bacteria, viruses, and trace organic contaminants from the water.

Material systems that contain TiO₂ have been observed to be photocatalytic and, in particular, to be photocatalytically effective for destroying organic compounds. Bacteriocidal films containing TiO₂ have been made, but, heretofore, have not been exploited for bacteriological protection of drinking water.

A glass bottle to be coated on the inside would be filled with a fluid suspension of TiO₂, then inverted. By controlling the rate of release of the suspension, one would control the thickness of the TiO₂ film deposited on the inner surface of the bottle. The bottle could then be fired to produce a stable, photocatalytically active TiO₂ film.

Coating with TiO₂ may also offer an additional advantage by impeding the dissolution of silica from the glass. TiO₂ is not toxic, and its solubility is much less than that of SiO₂.

This work was done by Anders W. Andren, David E. Armstrong, and Marc A. Anderson of the University of Wisconsin – Madison for Johnson Space Center. For further information, contact the Johnson Commercial Technology Office at (281) 483-3809.

MSC-22919