High-throughput Formation and Testing of Anti-fouling Nanocomposite Coating Films

摘要

Biofilms threaten human health through infecting host tissues, causing rejection of medical and dental implants, and harboring bacteria that contaminate drinking water, In addition biofilms cost industry billions annually by fouling ship hulls, cooling towers, heat exchangers, and membrane systems, which increases energy consumption, decreases process efficiency, and requires frequent cleaning and replacement of functional system components. One approach to slowing down the rate of biofouling and/or improving the ability to recover system performance through chemical cleaning is to modify the surfaces of functional components to resist bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. However, given the enormous number of possible combinations of aquatic chemistry, microbiology, and surface properties (of potentially fouled functional components) in these different biomedical, environmental and industrial systems—a "one-size-fits-all" approach to biofouling control is not likely to be universally successful.