Biomimetic and bioinspired surface topographies as a green strategy for combating biofouling: a review

Abstract

Biofouling refers to the adverse attachment and colonization of fouling organisms, including macromolecules, bacteria, and sessile invertebrates, on the surfaces of materials submerged in aquatic environments. Almost all structures working in watery surroundings, from marine infrastructures to healthcare facilities, are affected by this sticky problem, resulting in massive direct and indirect economic loss and enormous cost every year in protective maintenance and remedial cleaning. Traditional approaches to preventing marine biofouling primarily rely on the application of biocide-contained paints, which certainly impose adverse effects on the ocean environment and marine ecology. Biomimicry offers an efficient shortcut to developing environmentally friendly antifouling techniques and has yielded encouraging and promising results. The antifouling strategies learned from nature can be broadly classified into two categories according to the nature of the cues applied for biofouling control. One is the chemical antifouling techniques, which are dedicated to extracting the effective antifoulant compounds from marine organisms and synthesizing chemicals mimicking natural antifoulants. In contrast, the physical biomimetic (BM) antifouling practices focus on the emulation and optimization of the physical cues such as micro and nanoscale surface topographies learned from naturally occurring surfaces for better antifouling efficacy. In this review, a synopsis of the techniques for manufacturing the BM and bioinspired (BI) antifouling surface topographies is introduced, followed by the bioassay to assess the antifouling performance of the structured surfaces. Then, the BM and BI surface topographies that were reported to possess enhanced antifouling competence are introduced, followed by a summary of theoretical modeling. The whole paper is concluded by summarizing the studies' deficiencies so far and outlooking the research directions in the future.

Biomimetic Nanopillar Silicon Surfaces Rupture Fungal Spores

“…The nanotopography of damselfly and dragonfly wings has been widely recognised to possess broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity in that the nanopillars can not only rupture and kill attaching bacteria, but also have the ability to repel fungal conidia, preventing their attachment [ 2 , 4 , 33 , 37 , 38 ]. The efficacy of the mechano-bactericidal action of the wing nanotopography is governed by a few factors; the nanopillar pattern, i.e., height, spacing (density) and flexural rigidity of the nanopillars, and the cell surface characteristics of the attaching microbe [ 2 , 3 , 39 ].…”

Death at the interface: Nanotechnology’s challenging frontier against microbial surface colonization

“…The antimicrobial and antifouling effects of an impressive array of natural nanoscale topographies have inspired the creation of a new generation of engineered surfaces through physical modifications of surface topographies ( Vellwock & Yao, 2021 ). The construction and characterization of nanoscale materials and structures with enhanced physical and chemical functional properties lie at the heart of nanotechnology advances ( Wang & Vermerris, 2016 ).…”

Reconciling the Conflict between Optical Transparency and Fouling Resistance with a Nanowrinkled Surface Inspired by Zebrafish’s Cornea

“…For example, some toxic chemical compounds have been shown to cause drastic alterations to ecosystems such as physiological alterations on mollusks and fishes , and broad waterway contaminations . Topographical modifications such as the inclusion of micro- and nanotopographical features have been confirmed as an effective and environmentally friendly method to enhance the fouling resistance of surfaces, , but their influence on the optical properties is not well understood. A film with nanowires deposited on the surface achieved superior resistance to marine fouling and acceptable transmittance of light, but its high degree of haze may affect its visual quality .…”