Effect of surface modification and UVA photoactivation on antibacterial bioactivity of zinc oxide powder.

Highlights: [•] UVA illumination on surface of ZnO pellet improves the surface conductance significantly. [•] Oxygen annealing halved the UV emission intensity and green emission intensity. [•] Oxygen annealing and UVA illumination increase the inhibition of E. coli and S. aureus growth. [•] Release of reactive oxygen species was proposed to cause bacteriostatic effect toward E. coli and S. aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]