(145h) Bio-Inspired Antifouling/Fouling-Release Composites for Underwater Exploration

Bacterial biofilm growth on surfaces leads to occlusion, change of surface functionality and micro- and macroorganism proliferation. This process is commonly known as fouling, and can cause problems as varied as rise of costs for shipping of goods, food disease outbreaks and hospital-acquired urinary tract infections. To combat fouling, current techniques for removal of biofilms from surfaces typically involve scrubbing of surfaces and/or use of antibiotic agents. However, use of these techniques is limited by increasing costs, environmental concerns of the biocides, and the rise of antibiotic resistance. These techniques are also, in general, not suited for soft robotics due to the potential damage to the soft materials by abrasion or chemical degradation of polymers.

Living organisms such as fish, mollusks and plants have natural mechanisms to reduce the growth of bacteria on their surfaces. Many of Nature’s antifouling strategies are multi-pronged, combining for example hierarchical surface structures and active surface motion. Our work explores the possibility of using magnetic micro- and nanoparticles to achieve active antifouling and/or fouling release surfaces against diverse bacterial biofilms in the marine and biomedical environment. Magnetic particles can be used as actuators to achieve mechanical strains on soft surfaces, with the advantage that the activating magnetic fields can be applied without direct physical contact. By combining magnetic particles and soft polymers, we can fabricate bioinspired antifouling/fouling release surfaces with potential applications in soft robotics.