Microfluidic accumulation assay identifies successful anti-biofilm coatings
Microfluidic accumulation assay identifies successful anti-biofilm coatings lead image
Protecting ship hulls from biofilm formations that can harbor harmful bacteria is a crucial part of optimizing sea vessel speed and safety. Current preventative methods involve the use of specialized coatings to prevent biofilm build up.
Rosenhahn et al. developed a dynamic attachment assay to test the adhesion of a marine bacterium, Cobetia marina, to four different anti-biofilm protective coatings.
“Biofouling is a major problem for the shipping industry. Once a hull is overgrown with marine organisms, the drag is strongly increased, and the ship is slowed down. Up to 40% more fuel can be necessary,” said author Axel Rosenhahn.
The authors compared dodecanethiol (DDT), hydroxyundecanol, hydroxy-hexa(ethylene-glycol)-undecanethiol and α-hydroxy-ω-mercapto-PEG2000 (PEG) coatings with varying surface chemistries, wettability, thickness and protein resistance to understand how easily the bacteria could be removed from a surface.
“We identified a shear force range at which protective coatings can be tested against marine bacteria, and suitable coating candidates can be selected out of a larger group,” said Rosenhahn.
The researchers performed their experiments using self-assembled monolayers as the surfaces. A laminar flow was used to attempt to remove the bacteria. The DDT coating proved to be the least effective at preventing bacterial attachment, while the PEG coating was found to be the most resistant to the bacterial attachment.
Using their dynamic attachment assay, they found an increase in the thickness of polyglycerol coatings leads to a more efficient reduction of bacterial attachment.
“We hope to discover new materials for the next generation of fouling-release coatings that allow ships to self-clean when reaching their cruising speed,” said Rosenhahn.
Source: “Microfluidic accumulation assay to quantify the attachment of the marine bacterium Cobetia marina on fouling-release coatings,” by Jana Schwarze, Robin Wanka, and Axel Rosenhahn. Biointerphases (2020). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0000240 .
