Anti-biofouling functional surfaces for marine aquaculture

Abstract

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°) towards the marine microalgal species Chaetoceros calcitrans, Chaetoceros mulleri, and Tisochrysis lutea (T-Iso), which are commonly grown as aquaculture food.