Effects of bacteria on CdS thin films used in technological devices

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were fabricated on glass substrates by the chemical bath deposition method at $70{}^{\circ }\text{C}$ considering deposition times ranging from 2 h to 5 h. The optical band gaps of CdS thin films were found to be in the 2.42–2.37 eV range. CdS thin films had uniform spherical nano-size grains which had polycrystalline, hexagonal and cubic phases. The films had a characteristic electrical resistivity of the order of ${10}^5\Omega \text{cm}$ and n-type conductivity at room condition.

CdS thin films were incubated in cultures of B.domonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which exist abundantly in the environment, and form biofilms. SEM images showed that S. aureus and K. pneumonia were detected significantly on the film surfaces with a few of P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis cells attached. CdS thin film surface exhibits relatively good resistance to the colonization of P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis. Optical results showed that the band gap of CdS thin films which interacted with the bacteria is $2.42\text{eV}$. The crystal structure and electrical properties of CdS thin films were not affected by bacterial adhesion. The antimicrobial effect of CdS nanoparticles was different for different bacterial strains. (paper)