Preventing mussel adhesion using lubricant-infused materials
Abstract
During marine fouling, surfaces are encrusted with scale or biological organisms, which can be expensive to remove. Amini et al. used polymers infused with organic lubricants to prevent mussels from adhering to a submerged surface. The infused polymer presents a relatively soft surface to the mussel. This means that when the mussel probes the surface with its feet, it is less likely to release adhesive threads, which reduces its adhesion. The antifouling properties of the treatment were observed in both a laboratory setting and field testing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Aug 18, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1126/science.aai8977
Entities
People
- Ali Miserez
- Clarinda N. Sutanto
- James C. Weaver
- Joanna Aizenberg
- Lucas Cohen
- Luigi Petrone
- Nicolas Vogel
- Onyemaechi Ahanotu
- Shahrouz Amini
- Shawn Hoon
- Stefan Kolle
- Steffi Sunny
Organizations
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
- German Research Foundation
- Harvard University
- Nanyang Technological University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Department of Energy