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In recent years, extensive research on noble metal-TiO 2 nanocomposites has demonstrated their crucial role in various applications such as water splitting, self-cleaning, CO 2 reduction, and wastewater treatment. The structure of the noble metal-TiO 2 nanocomposites is critical in determining their photocatalytic properties. Numerous studies in the literature describe the preparation of these nanocomposites with various shapes and sizes to achieve tunable photocatalytic performance. However, achieving a stable coupling between the noble metal and the TiO 2 surface remains a challenge for long-term use. Photocatalytic deposition is one of the most promising approaches to obtain well-defined noble metal structures on TiO 2 surfaces with strong adhesion. Noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) can be quickly grown on the TiO 2 surface under light exposure. However, various parameters such as the pH, temperature, precursor, and electron sacrificial agent affect the size and distribution of the deposited particles. In this review article, we look at the critical parameters that influence the photocatalytic deposition of noble metals on major TiO 2 morphologies, classified as 0D (NPs and nanocrystals), 1D (nanotubes and nanowires), and 2D (thin films)., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Titanium alloys are the most commonly used dental and orthopedic implant materials due to their proven biocompatibility and mechanical properties. The native oxide layer (TiO 2 layer) formed on such Ti-based implants acts as the self-protecting layer against possible ion release. Increasing the oxide layer thickness further on such TiO 2 implants even opens the triggering of the osseointegration process if the oxide layer is having a certain degree of roughness, preferably higher. This work reports a novel photocatalytic patterning of sputter deposited TiO 2 layers with flower-like Au structures to enhance the early osteoblastic activity. The prepared hierarchical Au structures, composed of micro- and nanoscale features on the top, lead to improved number of filopodia formation. This suggest that proposed Au-TiO 2 surface may foster the cell attachment and as well as cell proliferation., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Thrombosis and bacterial infection are major problems in cardiovascular implants. Here we demonstrated that a superhydrophobic surface composed of poly(bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phosphazene) (PTFEP)-Al 2 O 3 hybrid nanowires (NWs) is effective to reduce both platelet adhesion/activation and bacterial adherence/colonization. The proposed approach allows surface modification of cardiovascular implants which have 3D complex geometries., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)