Flame assisted chemical vapour deposition is a low cost, relatively simple atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (CVD) technique that is compatible with both small volume, batch, and high volume continuous coating processes. Use of this method with low hazard aqueous solutions of simple metal salts can yield metal oxide thin films, which represents a major advantage in terms of precursor cost and environmental impact compared to alternative CVD methods. In this paper we report the extension of this technique to the growth of copper oxides from aqueous solutions of cupric nitrate (Cu(NO(3))(2)) and discuss the effects on the films of the various growth conditions. It is shown that copper oxide films are produced with nanostructure controlled properties. Furthermore, we report that these films have strong antibacterial activity. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.