Anti-Biofouling Properties of Comb-Like Block Copolymer With Amphiphilic Side-Chains

Published

August 11, 2006

Author(s)

Sitaraman Krishnan, R Ayothi, A Hexemer, J Finlay, K E. Sohn, R Perry, Christopher K. Ober, E J. Kramer, M E. Callow, J A. Callow, Daniel A. Fischer

Abstract

Surfaces of novel block copolymers with amphiphilic side chains were studied for adhesion of marine organisms. the surface-active polymer, obtained by grafting fluorinated molecules with hydrophobic and hydrophilic blocks to a block copolymer precursor, showed interesting bioadhesion properties. Two different algal species, one of which adhered strongly to hydrophobic surfaces, and the other, to hydrophilic surfaces, showed notably weak adhesion to the amphiphilic surfaces. Both the organisms are known to secrete bio-macromolecules, with apparently different wetting characteristics, to attach to under-water surfaces. The ability of the amphiphilic surface to undergo an environment-dependent transformation of surface chemistry, when in contact with the extra-cellular polymeric substances, is a possible reason for its antifouling nature. Near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) was used, in a new approach based on angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to determine the variation of chemical composition within the top few nanometers of the surface, and also to study surface-segregation of the amphiphilic block. A mathematical model to extract depth-profile information from the normalized NEXAFS partial electron yield is developed.

Citation

Langmuir

Volume

22

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

amphiphilic surfaces, bioadhesion, marine biofouling, NEXAFS

Citation

Krishnan, S. , Ayothi, R. , Hexemer, A. , Finlay, J. , Sohn, K. , Perry, R. , Ober, C. , Kramer, E. , Callow, M. , Callow, J. and Fischer, D. (2006), Anti-Biofouling Properties of Comb-Like Block Copolymer With Amphiphilic Side-Chains, Langmuir (Accessed April 16, 2024)