Enhanced marine antifouling performance of silver-titania nanotube composites from hydrothermal processing
Marine fouling is an age-old problem which continues to plague the maritime industry. The fouling process progresses from an initial formation of bacterial biofilm on unprotected surfaces. Silver is a well-known antimicrobial agent which is well-tolerated by mammals, while titania nanotubes have enh...
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
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Elsevier
2017
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://eprints.um.edu.my/18944/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2017.02.034 |
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Summary: | Marine fouling is an age-old problem which continues to plague the maritime industry. The fouling process progresses from an initial formation of bacterial biofilm on unprotected surfaces. Silver is a well-known antimicrobial agent which is well-tolerated by mammals, while titania nanotubes have enhanced properties due to a greater specific surface area on the inner and outer surfaces of the tubular structure. A novel 2-step hydrothermal synthesis of a silver-titania nanotube (Ag/TNT) composite material is presented. The morphology, particle size, chemical content, crystal structure, optical properties and surface area were systematically characterized. Determination of biofilm inhibitory properties revealed that Ag/TNT with the lowest silver content (0.95 wt% Ag) decorated with Ag nanoparticles of ca. 3 nm reduced biofilm formation of marine bacterium Halomonas pacifica by 98% compared to pure titania nanotubes and bulk silver alone. Growth inhibition of marine microalgae Dunaliella tertiolecta and Isochrysis sp. were also observed. |
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