Development of hydrophobic cupronickel surface with biofouling resistance by sandblasting

The paper focuses on a novel method for enhancing the biofouling resistance of cupronickel (90-10 Cu-Ni) alloy by surface modification involving sand blasting, pickling and coating with silane. After optimizing the experimental parameters for polishing, pickling and sandblasting in order to develop a hydrophobic surface, the surface morphology and the wetting properties of the modified surface were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and contact angle meter. The enhancement in resistance to bacterial adhesion was demonstrated by adhesion studies on Pseudomonas sp., the major biofilm former in marine environment. The silane based coating on the sand blasted surface of cupronickel alloy brought about two order reduction of bacterial attachment as compared to the control sample.