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Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
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Functionalised inherently conducting polymers as low biofouling materials.
Binbin Zhang1, Alex R Nagle, Gordon G Wallace
1a ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , Australia.
Biofouling
|July 29, 2015
Summary
Surface functionalization of inherently conducting polymers (ICPs) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) created effective anti-fouling materials. These ICP-PEG coatings significantly reduced protein adsorption and diatom adhesion in aquatic environments.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Environmental Science
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Microbial biofouling, particularly by diatoms, on man-made surfaces in aquatic environments causes significant economic and environmental issues.
- Inherently conducting polymers (ICPs) like polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) are candidates for surface modification due to their unique properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To functionalize ICPs with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to develop effective fouling-resistant materials.
- To evaluate the efficacy of these ICP-PEG materials in preventing protein adsorption and diatom settlement.
Main Methods:
- Surface functionalization of polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG).
- Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) to assess bovine serum albumin (BSA) adsorption.
- Assay to determine the prevention of diatom (Amphora coffeaeformis) settlement and colonization.
Main Results:
- ICP-PEG materials demonstrated varied fouling resistance based on dopants, PEG molecular weight, and reaction conditions.
- Optimized ICP-PEG surfaces significantly reduced BSA adsorption.
- A reduction of over 98% in diatom adhesion was achieved with optimized ICP-PEG materials.
Conclusions:
- Surface functionalization of ICPs with PEG is a viable strategy for creating advanced anti-fouling materials.
- These materials show great potential for mitigating biofouling in marine and aquatic applications.
- Further optimization of ICP-PEG materials can lead to enhanced performance in preventing biofouling.
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