Abstract
The adhesion characteristics of marine adhesive proteins and the preparation of antifouling surfaces toward the marine and freshwater sessile animals have been investigated. The attachment of marine invertebrates, blue mussel and barnacle, and the freshwater mussel was tested using non-treated material surfaces, such as glass and silicone, together with glass surfaces modified with nine kinds of silane coupling agents. Based on the relationship between the sessile animal attachment and the surface free energies of the substrates, the percent of sessile animal attachment was significantly reduced for the substrates with lower surface free energies. The mean number of secreted byssuses per one attaching mussel also decreased with decreasing surface free energies of the substrates. The analytical approach based on the component division of the surface free energies of the substrates may suggest a promising strategy for the preparation of antifouling surfaces. Our working hypothesis for the preparation of ecologically clean antifouling materials takes into account the combination of wettability of both the marine adhesive proteins and the modified surfaces. This component division of the surface free energies could be an alternative solution to antifouling material science.
