UC Riverside

Managing biofouling is a critical aspect in a wide range of industries and addressing this concern is of optimal interest. In this study, the mass transfer of a model marine bacterium (Halomonas pacific g) was investigated on engineered surfaces ranging from superhydrophobic to superhydrophilic. The quantification of the deposition kinetics was achieved using a specially designed parallel plate flow chamber system under a range of relevant solution chemistries on the test sufaces. Halomonas pacifica g was further characterized to determine its zeta potential and hydrophobicity. Test surfaces were generated via breakdown anodization or electrophoretic deposition, and properties including surface roughness, contact angle, and capillary diffusivity were quantified. The greatest deposition was observed on of the superhydrophilic surface, which had micro- and nano- scale hierarchical structures composed of titanium oxide on a titanium plate. Conversely, one of the hydrophobic surfaces with micro-porous films overlaid with polydimethylsiloxane appeared to be most resistant to cell attachment.