Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

The Barnacle Balanus improvisus as a Marine Model - Culturing and Gene Expression
Published on: August 8, 2018
Adhesion of marine fouling organisms on hydrophilic and amphiphilic polysaccharides
Stella Bauer1, Maria Pilar Arpa-Sancet, John A Finlay
1Institute of Functional Interfaces, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany. stella.bauer@pci.uni-heidelberg.de
Abstract:
Polysaccharides are a promising material for nonfouling surfaces because their chemical composition makes them highly hydrophilic and able to form water-storing hydrogels. Here we investigated the nonfouling properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) against marine fouling organisms. Additionally, the free carboxyl groups of HA and CS were postmodified with the hydrophobic trifluoroethylamine (TFEA) to block free carboxyl groups and render the surfaces amphiphilic. All coatings were tested with respect to their protein resistance and against settlement and adhesion of different marine fouling species. Both the settlement and adhesion strength of a marine bacterium (Cobetia marina), zoospores of the seaweed Ulva linza, and cells of a diatom (Navicula incerta) were reduced compared to glass control surfaces. In most cases, TFEA capping increased or maintained the performance of the HA coatings, whereas for the very well performing CS coatings the antifouling performance was reduced after capping.
Related Concept Videos
Adhesion
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow glass...
Surface Appendages of Archaea
Glycocalyx and its Functions
Components of...
Biofilms
Surface Active Agents
Membrane Carbohydrates
Membrane carbohydrates do not have any hydrophobic region and are exclusively located on the cell's outer surface. The addition of sugar molecules or glycosylation of proteins happens in...