Electrochemical Approach for Effective Antifouling and Antimicrobial Surfaces

Abstract

Biofouling, the adsorption of organisms to a surface, is a major problem today in many areas of our lives. This includes: (i) health, as biofouling on medical device leads to hospital-acquired infections, (ii) water, since the accumulation of organisms on membranes and pipes in desalination systems harms the function of the system, and (iii) energy, due to the heavy load of the organic layer that accumulates on marine vessels and causes a larger consumption of fuel. This paper presents an effective electrochemical approach for generating antifouling and antimicrobial surfaces. Distinct from previously reported antifouling or antimicrobial electrochemical studies, we demonstrate the formation of a hydrogen gas bubble layer through the application of a low-voltage square-waveform pulses to the conductive surface. This electrochemically generated gas bubble layer serves as a separation barrier between the surroundings and the target surface where the adhesion of bacteria can be deterred. Our results indicate that this barrier could effectively reduce the adsorption of bacteria to the surface by 99.5%. We propose that the antimicrobial mechanism correlates with the fundamental of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). HER leads to an arid environment that does not allow the existence of live bacteria. In addition, we show that this drought condition kills the preadhered bacteria on the surface due to water stress. This work serves as the basis for the exploration of future self-sustainable antifouling techniques such as incorporating it with photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical reactions.

Effects of antifouling technology application on Marine ecological environment

“…In chemical antifouling, electrolysis of seawater produces hypochlorite ions and chlorine gas [25] , which can directly kill plankton microorganisms, destroy the mucus on the body surface of fish and lead to electrolyte metabolism disorder in the body. Although non-toxic chloride ions can be rapidly converted, the electrochemical corrosion of the substrate will be accelerated, and energy consumption is also high.…”

Anti-Biofouling Polymers with Special Surface Wettability for Biomedical Applications

“…In marine and freshwater environments, biofouling involves the undesirable attachment of organisms to artificial surfaces, such as ceramic, metal, or plastic ( Dobretsov et al, 2013 ; Mieszkin et al, 2013 ; Hu et al, 2020 ). In the medical field, microorganisms may attach to devices and biosensors, resulting in the infection of patients ( Jorge et al, 2012 ; Ammons and Copié, 2013 ; Leslie et al, 2014 ; Gaw et al, 2017 ). In industrial situations, microorganisms may feed and proliferate using nutrients in membranes, eventually blocking the pores ( Bixler and Bhushan, 2012 ).…”

“…In industrial situations, microorganisms may feed and proliferate using nutrients in membranes, eventually blocking the pores ( Bixler and Bhushan, 2012 ). Biofouling of microbes and viruses to surfaces, especially for medical biofouling, still remains an urgent problem to be solved owing to their crucial roles in medical implants, CLs, catheters, hemodialyzers, biosensors, and respirators ( Jorge et al, 2012 ; Ammons and Copié, 2013 ; Leslie et al, 2014 ; Gaw et al, 2017 ). For example, the COVID-19 emergency lasted nearly 2 years but there is still no sign of it disappearing.…”

Fabrication of biomimetic slippery liquid‐infused porous surface on 5086 aluminum alloy with excellent antifouling performance

“…7 However, superhydrophobic surfaces present a host of challenges: poor self-healing capacity, pressure stability, short-term antifouling performance, and poor resistance to low surface energy liquid pollution. [8][9][10][11] To overcome these challenges, the Nepenthes pitcher plant became the benchmark upon which researchers proposed the best solution. This plant has a crescentshaped microstructure wherein a lubricant is locked firmly; it formed a lubricating film that causes insects to slip down to the digestive organ.…”

“…Artificial superhydrophobic surfaces that emulate the natural lotus were developed by fabricating a micro/nano hierarchical structure, which could prevent the adhesion of microorganisms by minimizing the contact area between the microorganisms and surfaces 7 . However, superhydrophobic surfaces present a host of challenges: poor self ‐ healing capacity, pressure stability, short‐term antifouling performance, and poor resistance to low surface energy liquid pollution 8–11 . To overcome these challenges, the Nepenthes pitcher plant became the benchmark upon which researchers proposed the best solution.…”