Anti-biofouling functional surfaces for marine aquaculture

Aquaculture is a global-scale industry providing sustainable production of protein-rich foods required to feed the growing world population. Microalgae cultivation in aquaculture bioreactors can exude extracellular polymeric substances leading to biofouling of culture infrastructure and increased algal disease risk. A structure-behaviour relationship was developed by examining how the surface wettability of a range of functional nanocoatings impacts the extent of biofouling during exposure to continuous microalgae culture under normal hydrodynamic conditions. High-wetting (hydrophilic) surfaces were found to reduce biofouling better than water-repelling (hydrophobic) surfaces. Low toxicity in conjunction with antifouling behaviour was found for pulsed plasma poly(4-vinylpyridine) coated bioreactor surfaces (water contact angle = 38 +/- 5 degrees) towards the marine microalgal species Chaetoceros calcitrans, Chaetoceros mulleri, and Tisochrysis lutea (T-Iso), which are commonly grown as aquaculture food.

Automated summary

Aquaculture is a global industry that plays a vital role in providing sustainable protein-rich foods to feed the growing world population. A study shows that using highly wettable (hydrophilic) surface coatings can effectively reduce biofouling in aquaculture, while water-repellent (hydrophobic) coatings have a less desirable outcome. Modified poly(4-vinylpyridine) coatings exhibited low toxicity and demonstrated antifouling properties against commonly grown marine microalgal species used as aquaculture food.