Photocatalytic titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has been developed and extensively applied due to its non-toxicity, high catalytic activity, and strong self-cleaning characteristics. The present study employs an arc ion plating technique to deposit a strongly adhered photocatalytic TiO 2 coating onto bare Cu–35Zn substrate, which is commonly used in sanitary wares. The present report aims to create a TiO 2 coating with antimicrobial function and satisfactory mechanical properties. The results indicate that arc ion plating can successfully deposit TiO 2 onto brass substrates that are precoated with Ni/Cr. The cross-sectional morphology of TiO 2 coating shows a fine and dense columnar structure of anatase with a growth rate of 5μm/h. The surface microhardness of the specimen deposited with TiO 2 coating is 351.9HV. The adhesive force of the coating is satisfactory with a critical load of 20.38N and its wear resistance is far better than that of the brass substrate and Ni/Cr-precoated specimen. The coating's wear index obtained from a Taber test is 0.26. TiO 2 coatings can act as an ideal passive film and thereby shows a high corrosion potential and low corrosion current in aqueous sodium chloride. The photocatalytic effect of anatase TiO 2 will be activated under the incident light with energy greater than the band gap energy E g , of TiO 2 (3.2eV, 387.5nm), thereby providing antimicrobial function. In general, the Ni/Cr-precoated specimen incorporated with a photocatalytic TiO 2 film can provide sufficient protective and antimicrobial functions to its substrate, rendering it highly feasible for commercial use.