Evaluation of the Strength of Attachment of Enteromorpha Zoospores to Novel Polymer Surfaces

Abstract

Enteromorpha is the most important macrofouling alga and the diatom Amphora is a dominant member of slimes that develop on all coatings including foul-release silicones. The objective of this research was to use these two species as models to understand fundamental aspects of adhesion and to apply this mechanistic understanding to a practical, laboratory scale evaluation of novel anti-fouling materials provided by other contractors. Two methods to apply hydrodynamic shear forces to adhered organisms were developed and used to characterize baseline adhesive properties on defined, model surfaces. A 5-point evaluation protocol was the developed for novel test surfaces, incorporating quantitative settlement, adhesion and removal assays. Test surfaces provided by 7 contractors were iteratively evaluated and the results reported for further development. Six papers were published in refereed journals.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA408204

Entities

People

  • James A. Callow
  • Maureen E. Callow

Organizations

  • University of Birmingham

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Adhesion
  • Adhesives
  • Coatings
  • Electron Microscopy
  • Fluoropolymers
  • Materials
  • Microscopes
  • Polymers
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy
  • Self Assembled Monolayers
  • Standards
  • Surface Properties
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • Toxicity
  • Water Jets

Readers

  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Surface Coatings Technology.
  • Underwater engineering and Marine Technology.