| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces Division | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session BI-TuP |
| Session: | Biomaterial Interfaces Poster Session with Flash presentations |
| Presenter: | Samantha Zanetti, The College of New Jersey |
| Authors: | S. Zanetti, The College of New Jersey S. Moorzitz, The College of New Jersey G. Dickinson, The College of New Jersey M. Figueroa, The College of New Jersey |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Biofouling by marine organisms causes damage to ships and underwater structures. Some anti-fouling coatings reduce adhesion by small marine organisms but are not as effective in deterring adhesion from barnacles. To develop a surface capable of further reducing barnacle adhesion, it is important to understand the chemical and mechanical interactions in the formation of bonds between the glue and surface. While some experiments have studied the mechanical properties of the cyprids and barnacles, their adhesion is complex and still not fully understood. Furthermore, there are only a few studies that have measured the adhesive properties of reattached barnacles. To study the adhesive properties of the glue, adult barnacles were removed from hydrophobic surfaces and the glue residue was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM).
Assessments were conducted on methylated and fluorinated self-assembled monolayer substrates. Substrates were prepared on glass slides that were cleaned with Piranha solution prior to use. Barnacles were reattached to the substrates in artificial seawater for two weeks. They were then removed via shear force following ASTM D5618-94. Separately, a mechanical testing frame was used to remove another set of reattached barnacles in a controlled manner. Force required to displace the barnacle was recorded and compared to the ASTM standard.
To determine the glue's viscoelastic properties and Young’s Modulus, an AFM was used to collect force curves and images of the barnacle glue residue. The mechanical properties of the glue were recorded for each type of coating following an indentation procedure using an intermittent contact mode. Adhesion data and the deflection of the tip was used to plot applied force vs. vertical displacement. A contact model was applied to the approach and retraction curves to gather the viscoelastic properties of the samples.
The poster will present summer 2017 research results. This will include the measured mechanical properties of glue from reattached barnacles, retrieved from the AFM analysis and mechanical test strain data.