Undulatory topographical waves for flow-induced foulant sweeping

Abstract

Diverse bioinspired antifouling strategies have demonstrated effective fouling-resistant properties with good biocompatibility, sustainability, and long-term activity. However, previous studies on bioinspired antifouling materials have mainly focused on material aspects or static architectures of nature without serious consideration of kinetic topographies or dynamic motion. Here, we propose a magnetically responsive multilayered composite that can generate coordinated, undulatory topographical waves with controlled length and time scales as a new class of dynamic antifouling materials. The undulatory surface waves of the dynamic composite induce local and global vortices near the material surface and thereby sweep away foulants from the surface, fundamentally inhibiting their initial attachment. As a result, the dynamic composite material with undulating topographical waves provides an effective means for efficient suppression of biofilm formation without surface modification with chemical moieties or nanoscale architectures.

Building Magnetoresponsive Composite Elastomers for Bionic Locomotion Applications

“…6b), even climb the steep obstacles that Fig. 7 Design and the dynamic antifouling behavior of the batoidea-inspired magnetoresponsive multilayered composite [91] . were 10 times higher than its leg continuously (Fig.…”

“…In nature, varieties of living creatures morphing motion modalities flourish, the crawling and rolling of caterpillars [88] , the anchor telescoping motion of inchworms [89] , the upward swimming of jellyfishes [90] , the undulatory topographical motion of batoidea [91] , the leaping of nematodes [92] , so forth [93][94][95] . These instances have stimulated scientists to build advanced actuators which can not only dynamically change their morphologies, but also motion at diverse environments when exposed to a stimulus.…”

“…The dynamic undulatory topographical locomotion of a batoidea (Figs. 7a and 7b) inspired Ko et al [91] to propose an efficient and sustainable surface antifouling strategy that utilized the undulatory topographical waves induced by the dynamic shape-morphing locomotion of a class of new antifouling materials to clear away foulants and restrain the formation of biofilms without any surface modification (Fig. 7d).…”

Biofilm and swarming emergent behaviours controlled through the aid of biophysical understanding and tools

“…This finding suggests that biofilm formation and surface colonisation might also be prevented by medium turbulent flow and active mixing, both hydrodynamic effects inducible through surface vibrations. On this regard, the application of sinusoidal wave pulses with variable cycling times, causing millimetric surface displacements, showed outstanding anti-biofilm performances in E. coli with maximum decrease in ∼90% surface coverage [ 90 ]. The pulse wave movement creates strong hydrodynamic vortexes which, acting as a sweep, interfere with bacteria ability to reach and properly colonising the surface.…”

“…Tuning frequency and amplitude of surface waves can control biofilm formation [85][86][87][88][89][90]92] Shear flows High shear flows lead to more compact biofilm formation and changes in its mechanical properties [48,92,93,103] Biofilms, sessile microbial communities embedded in EPS, also emerge on surfaces, but the conditions favourable for biofilm formation are distinct from those for swarming. Biofilms are prominent on solid-liquid, solid-air and liquid-air phase boundaries, and are recalcitrant to almost all types of biological and biochemical stresses.…”