Ceria (CeO2) nanoparticles with haloperoxidase
(HPO)-like
activity have gained attention as a biologically benign antifoulant.
3,4-Dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA), a main composition
in mussel foot proteins, plays a crucial role in the biofouling process.
However, the impact on the HPO-like activity and antifouling performance
of CeO2 nanoparticles when DOPA molecules adsorb on them
remains unexplored. This interesting question warrants investigation,
particularly considering that it may occur in an actual marine environment.
Herein, the interaction between DOPA and CeO2 is explored.
Despite the higher Ce3+ fractions and the lower band gap
energies due to the electron transfer from DOPA to the CeO2 surface, DOPA still had a slightly negative effect on the HPO-like
activity of CeO2 since they decreased the exposed Ce3+ sites. The DOPA-CeO2 nanocomposites with HPO-like
activities could kill bacteria and trigger quorum-sensing signaling
quenching, achieving a biofilm inhibition performance. Amazingly,
0.1% DOPA-CeO2 nanocomposite exhibited higher antibacterial
activity and better biofilm suppression activities due to its HPO-like
activity and positive zeta potential. The remarkable results demonstrated
that DOPA, as a participant in the biofouling process, could enhance
the antibacterial activity and antifouling performance of CeO2 nanoparticles at an appropriate concentration.