Abstract: ZnO films with different morphologies were prepared by the sol-gel method under vacuum conditions on the surface of porous titanium sheets with pores of 50 nm, and the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and hydrophily. The effect of the morphology of ZnO films on their anti-biofilm properties against the food spoilage bacterium Shewanella putrefaciens was determined. The results showed that ZnO had a hexagonal wurtzite structure, and the microstructure of ZnO thin films was affected by the number of coating cycles. The amount of ZnO deposited on the film with one cycle of coasting was low, and ZnO was firstly deposited on the edge of TiO2 porous. When the sol was deposited for 4 times, the amount of ZnO deposited was increased, and ZnO was packed densely along the top of channels. The porous titanium films were hydrophobic, and they became hydrophilic after the deposition of ZnO. The hydrophilicity of the films was strengthened with increasing number of coating cycles. As the porous titanium plate was hydrophobic, its anti-biofilm property against S. putrefaciens was stronger than that of ordinary titanium plate. However, because of the antibacterial properties of ZnO, the antibiofilm properties of the ZnO films were enhanced by sol-gel coating, and the ZnO film with 4 cycles of coating possessed the best antibiofilm properties.

Key words: sol-gel method, zinc oxide, Shewanella putrefaciens, biofilm, porous titanium sheets