Enhanced marine antifouling performance of silver-titania nanotube composites from hydrothermal processing

• Main Authors: Yee, M.S.L., Khiew, P.S., Lim, S.S., Chiu, W.S., Tan, Y.F., Kok, Y.Y., Leong, C.O.
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier 2017
• Subjects: QC Physics; R Medicine; TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/18944/; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2017.02.034

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.