Marine biofouling is the buildup of microorganisms such as barnacles, mussels and algae on surfaces constantly exposed to water. For ships and other marine structures, this growth can cause serious problems.
As organisms accumulate on a vessel’s hull, they increase resistance in the water, forcing ships to use more fuel. The buildup can also increase carbon dioxide emissions and accelerate corrosion of metal surfaces.
Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Tao Wei has been researching new ways to prevent marine biofouling through research supported by the Office of Naval Research. His recent work focuses on developing novel fouling resistant materials.
“Mussels and barnacles attach themselves to the submerged surfaces of natural, synthetic and even living materials,” Wei says. “Similar organisms attach themselves to marine vessels. Without protective treatments, these organisms create serious problems like increasing friction as ships move through water and corrosion.”
Over the past six years, Wei and his research team have conducted fundamental investigations into how different materials resist biofouling and established design principles for creating or modifying materials. Their findings have helped establish guidelines for designing new zwitterionic materials, which contain alternating positive and negatively charged components, to better prevent organisms from attaching to surfaces.
Based on the previous fundamental studies, Wei’s team plans to develop novel and more effective fouling resistant polymer coating materials that can adapt to different operating conditions.
“These materials need to perform well, whether a ship is sitting in the water or moving at sea, and they must remain effective in different environments that vary in salinity, acidity and the presence of various biofoulers,” Wei says.
The new project began this past May and relies on simulations, advanced computational methods, and multiscale modeling approaches for designing new compounds that improve the performance of fouling-resistant materials. To perform these large-scale simulations, the team is relying on resources, including the University of South Carolina’s high-performance computing facilities and supercomputers from national laboratories.
“We’re collaborating with researchers who synthesize materials and characterize their properties,” Wei says. “During this new funding cycle, we have expanded our collaboration network to include additional leading research groups.”
One area of focus is understanding how water interacts with a material’s surface at the molecular level. By studying how atoms and electrons interact at small scales, researchers can design materials that strengthen hydrated layers and provide stronger protection against biofouling.
Another focus area is how polymer coatings and their effects on surface interactions with proteins, organic compounds and other substances at the surface level. Their findings have been published in leading scientific journals, including the Journal of the American Chemical Society and Chemical Science.
Although the research is primarily focused on marine coatings, the technology can also have applications in medicine. Similar materials can be used as coatings to improve drug delivery systems by helping therapeutic particles travel through the body more effectively and reach their intended targets.
“Because these materials form a highly hydrated layer, immune cells cannot attack the drug carrier,” Wei says. “These coasting can also improve the delivery of therapeutic nanoparticles into cells. This is particularly important because many modern therapies require advanced coating materials to improve their effectiveness.”
Biofouling remains a significant concern for the maritime industry, making the development of more effective and solutions increasingly important.
“This work reflects many of the advances achieved over the past several years,” Wei says. “Those advances include publications, student training and the development of new materials that provide improved protection against biofouling.”