A novel multistage strategy for non-toxic anti-biofouling coatings by combining antifouling photocatalytic doped TiO2 nanostructured films with fouling release slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) approaches.

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Ben Fabry; Professor Dr. Patrik Schmuki
• Subject Area: Biomaterials ; Coating and Surface Technology ; Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis
• Term: from 2020 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 442826449

• Final Report Year: 2025

Final Report Abstract

The goal of this project was to meet the growing demand for non-toxic anti-biofouling coatings. Biofouling is one of the fundamental problems that is far from being solved. For decades, marine biofouling has been treated with toxic paints containing Sn or Cu biocides, which have been released into the marine environment, causing damage to the surrounding aquatic environment. Since 2008, some toxic components have been banned by the International Maritime Organization, while others were subjected to the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems, which was submitted to the EU competent authorities in 2018. Bacterial fouling is another major challenge. It leads to reduced efficiency, increased operating and maintenance costs, and system failures in a variety of industries. It can cause corrosion, mechanical blockages, infections in medical devices, and contamination in food processing, ultimately affecting economic performance and safety. We proposed to develop a non-toxic alternative for anti-biofouling coatings. The research combined multi-stage non-toxic approaches to combat biofilm attachment and growth. During the project, we focused on two different non-toxic anti-biofouling technologies, both based on changes in the surface properties.

Publications

• Morphology and Optical Properties of Highly Ordered TiO2 Nanotubes Grown in NH4F/o-H3PO4 Electrolytes in View of Light-Harvesting and Catalytic Applications. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 3(11), 10646-10658.
  Tesler, Alexander B.; Altomare, Marco & Schmuki, Patrik
  
• A One‐Pot Universal Approach to Fabricate Lubricant‐Infused Slippery Surfaces on Solid Substrates. Advanced Functional Materials, 31(27).
  Tesler, Alexander B.; Prado, Lucia H.; Khusniyarov, Marat M.; Thievessen, Ingo; Mazare, Anca; Fischer, Lena; Virtanen, Sannakaisa; Goldmann, Wolfgang H. & Schmuki, Patrik
  
• “Silicone- or fluorosilicone-coated solid substrates and process for their preparation”, European Patent Office, Munich: EP4067448A1.
  Tesler, A.B., Goldmann, W.H., Prado, L., Khusniyarov, M.M., Thievessen, I., Mazare, A., Virtanen, S. & Fischer, L.
  
• Nontoxic Liquid-Infused Slippery Coating Prepared on Steel Substrates Inhibits Corrosion and Biofouling Adhesion. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 14(25), 29386-29397.
  Tesler, Alexander B.; Prado, Lucia H.; Thievessen, Ingo; Mazare, Anca; Schmuki, Patrik; Virtanen, Sannakaisa & Goldmann, Wolfgang H.
  
• “Silicone- or fluorosilicone-coated solid substrates and process for their preparation”, PCT Worldwide patent office: WO2022207703A1.
  Tesler, A.B., Goldmann, W.H., Prado, L., Khusniyarov, M.M., Thievessen, I., Mazare, A., Virtanen, S. & Fischer, L.
  
• Long-term stability of aerophilic metallic surfaces underwater. Nature Materials, 22(12), 1548-1555.
  Tesler, Alexander B.; Kolle, Stefan; Prado, Lucia H.; Thievessen, Ingo; Böhringer, David; Backholm, Matilda; Karunakaran, Bhuvaneshwari; Nurmi, Heikki A.; Latikka, Mika; Fischer, Lena; Stafslien, Shane; Cenev, Zoran M.; Timonen, Jaakko V. I.; Bruns, Mark; Mazare, Anca; Lohbauer, Ulrich; Virtanen, Sannakaisa; Fabry, Ben; Schmuki, Patrik ... & Goldmann, Wolfgang H.
  
• Silicone-Based Lubricant-Infused Slippery Coating Covalently Bound to Aluminum Substrates for Underwater Applications. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 15(26), 31776-31786.
  Prado, Lucia H.; Böhringer, David; Mazare, Anca; Sotelo, Lamborghini; Sarau, George; Christiansen, Silke; Fabry, Ben; Schmuki, Patrik; Virtanen, Sannakaisa; Goldmann, Wolfgang H. & Tesler, Alexander B.
  
• Aerophilic Surfaces for Sustained Corrosion Protection of Metals Underwater. Advanced Functional Materials, 34(44).
  Prado, Lucia H.; Hayek, Samer; Mazare, Anca; Erceg, Ina; Sarau, George; Christiansen, Silke; Kamaleev, Maksim; Wurmshuber, Michael; Lohbauer, Ulrich; Goldmann, Wolfgang H.; Virtanen, Sannakaisa & Tesler, Alexander B.
  
• Corrosion Resistance of Biodegradable Zinc Surfaces Enhanced by UV-Grafted Polydimethylsiloxane Coating. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 10(8), 4891-4900.
  Pupillo, Davide; Bruns, Mark P.; Prado, Lucia H.; Di Franco, Francesco; Böhringer, David; Mazare, Anca; Goldmann, Wolfgang H.; Virtanen, Sannakaisa; Santamaria, Monica & Tesler, Alexander B.
  
• Predicting plastron thermodynamic stability for underwater superhydrophobicity. Communications Materials, 5(1).
  Tesler, Alexander B.; Nurmi, Heikki A.; Kolle, Stefan; Prado, Lucia H.; Karunakaran, Bhuvaneshwari; Mazare, Anca; Erceg, Ina; de Brito Soares, Íris; Sarau, George; Christiansen, Silke; Stafslien, Shane; Alvarenga, Jack; Aizenberg, Joanna; Fabry, Ben; Ras, Robin H. A. & Goldmann, Wolfgang H.
  
• Binding Kinetics of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Fluorinated Phosphate Ester on Metal Oxides for Underwater Aerophilicity. Langmuir, 41(3), 1868-1875.
  Mazare, Anca; Ulubas, Mahmut Hakan; Kim, Hyesung; Fomicheva, Iana; Sarau, George; Christiansen, Silke H.; Goldmann, Wolfgang H. & Tesler, Alexander B.