| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Marine Biofouling Focus Topic | Monday Sessions |
| Session MB-MoM |
| Session: | Interfacial Aspects of Marine Biofouling |
| Presenter: | Linlin Xiao, University of Heidelberg, Germany |
| Authors: | L. Xiao, University of Heidelberg, Germany M. Röhrig, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany S.E. Thompson, University of Birmingham, UK M.E. Callow, University of Birmingham, UK J.A. Callow, University of Birmingham, UK A. Rosenhahn, University of Heidelberg, Germany M. Grunze, University of Heidelberg, Germany |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Marine biofouling is the undesirable accumulation of microorganisms, plants and animals on artificial surfaces immersed in the sea [1]. The increased hydrodynamic drag caused by fouling leads to higher operating costs of vessels. Studying the interaction between marine organisms and surfaces enhances the development of environmentally compatible approaches to control fouling [2]. Surface microtopography has been found to influence the settlement of cells and larvae [3]. We have studied the influence of surface topographic features on the biofouling process. Honeycomb gradient structures, inspired by the pattern found on the skin of the pilot whale [4], were obtained by a hot embossing process, and the effect on the density of spores of the green alga Ulva that attached in laboratory assays was quantified. Spore settlement density was higher on the microstructured gradients than the smooth background. The highest density of spores was found when the size of the microstructures was similar to or larger than the size of a spore. With decreasing size of the honeycombs, spore settlement decreased to a level similar to that on the smooth background. In line with the results from the Brennan group [5], spore settlement correlated with Wenzel roughness.
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[2] M. E. Callow, J. A. Callow, "Marine biofouling: a sticky problem", Biologist, 2002, 49, (1), 1-5.
[3] A. J. Scardino, R. de Nys, "Mini review: Biomimetic models and bioinspired surfaces for fouling control", Biofouling, 2011, 27, (1), 73-86.
[4] X. Cao, M. E. Pettitt, F. Wode, M. P. Arpa Sancet, J. Fu, J. Ji, M. E. Callow, J. A. Callow, A. Rosenhahn, M. Grunze, “Interaction of zoospores of the green alga Ulva with bioinspired micro- and nanostructured surfaces prepared by polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer self-assembly”, Adv. Funct. Mater., 2010, 20, 1984–1993.
[5] M. L. Carman, T. G. Estes, A. W. Feinberg, J. F. Schumacher, W. Wilkerson, L. H. Wilson, M. E. Callow, J. A. Callow, A. B. Brennan, “Engineered antifouling microtopographies – correlating wettability with cell attachment”, Biofouling, 2006, 22, (1-2), 11–21.