Environmental contamination by microorganisms is a major cause of transmission of several infectious diseases. Interactive touchscreenbased devices are known to be hotspots for pathogenic microorganisms, from where they spread onto the human body through contact. Therefore, an antibacterial coating can play an important role in reducing contamination by microorganisms. Herein, eco-friendly and highly transparent polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-coated zinc-doped silicon oxide (SZO/PTFE) thin films are demonstrated as antireflective and antibacterial smartphone panel coatings. The SZO and SZO/PTFE thin films exhibit very low refractive index and high transmittance similar to those of bare glass. Furthermore, an ultrathin coating of PTFE on SZO films explicitly increases the hydrophobic properties of SZO thin films without affecting the antibacterial activity. SZO/PTFE thin films also demonstrated good mechanical durability and long-term stability by presenting consistent transmittance and hydrophobic properties under harsh conditions. Our results demonstrate a simple method to realize extremely good multi-functional surface coatings featuring antireflective ability, hydrophobicity, and superior antibacterial activity for smart panels, touchscreens, and medical devices.

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Lead‐free perovskite‐inspired materials (PIMs) have attracted great interest in optoelectronics, as they feature electronic properties similar to mainstream lead‐based perovskites but are not burdened by the same toxicity issues. However, PIM photodetectors to date have not delivered efficiencies and stability on par with benchmark technologies. With a focus on methylammonium bismuth iodide (MA3Bi2I9)—a prominent lead‐free PIM—this study overcomes this challenge by growing the photoactive material through an engineered chemical vapor deposition (CVD) approach. While the commonplace one‐tube (1T)‐CVD approach delivers films with disconnected grains and large pinholes, a two‐tube (2T)‐CVD approach is developed that enables the growth of smoother films with superior, compact morphology. The considerable optoelectronic potential of 2T‐CVD MA3Bi2I9 films is demonstrated by realizing high‐performance self‐powered photodetectors, which deliver a responsivity and specific detectivity as high as 0.28 A W–1 and 8.8 × 1012 Jones, respectively, under UV illumination—i.e., approximately twice as large as the 1T‐CVD counterparts. Further, nonencapsulated 2T‐CVD devices exhibit considerable long‐term moisture stability, with an attenuation of their photoresponse of ≤3% over 100 days. These results demonstrate that 2T‐CVD offers a promising platform that can catalyze the development of high‐performance lead‐free perovskite‐inspired optoelectronics.

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