| AVS 65th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Biomaterial Interfaces Division | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session BI-WeA |
| Session: | Microbes and Fouling at Surfaces |
| Presenter: | Kenan Fears, US Naval Research Laboratory |
| Authors: | K.P. Fears, US Naval Research Laboratory C.R. So, US Naval Research Laboratory D.H. Leary, US Naval Research Laboratory H. Ryou, US Naval Research Laboratory J. Schultzhaus, US Naval Research Laboratory C. Wang, US Naval Research Laboratory B. Orihuela, Duke University Marine Laboratory D. Rittschof, Duke University Marine Laboratory C.M. Spillmann, US Naval Research Laboratory K.J. Wahl, US Naval Research Laboratory |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Marine macro-foulers (e.g, barnacles, tubeworms, mussels) create robust underwater adhesives capable of attaching themselves to almost any material. While proteomic analysis has provided insight into the chemical composition of these natural adhesives, developing synthetic analogs that mimic their performance remains a challenge due to an incomplete understanding of adhesion processes. Through the use of in vivo confocal microscopy with multiple fluorescent probes, we have identified that acorn barnacles (Amphibalanus (= Balanus) amphitrite) secrete a phase-separating surfactant mixture to clean and protect the surface ahead of growth and cement deposition. This mixture consists of a phenolic laden gelatinous phase that holds a phase rich in lipids and reactive oxygen species at the seawater interface. This secretion oxidizes and lifts off adhered biofilms surrounding the barnacle base as it expands. These findings show barnacles repurpose phenolic chemistries ubiquitious to adhesives and cuticles as part of their own antifouling strategy. The discovery of this critical step in underwater adhesion represents a missing link between natural and synthetic adhesives, and provides new directions for the development of environmentally-friendly biofouling solutions.