Bioinspiration and Microtopography As Nontoxic Strategies for Marine Bioadhesion Control

Abstract Marine biofouling is the unwanted accumulation of biological origin matters on submerged surfaces. Biofouling is a major economic burden on navy and commercial ships, as well as civil structures, piping systems, sensors, and power generating facilities. Due to the vast variety of marine organisms that colonize submerged surfaces, no surface has been found that is completely resistant to marine biofouling. The development of bioinspired and textured surfaces and their effects on marine biofouling are reviewed here. Different parameters such as mechanical properties, wettability, and surface topography are shown to have an influence on the settlement, attachment, and growth of marine organisms on marine surfaces. The effect of texturation is especially investigated with a special focus on how marine animals are affected. Techniques for creating artificial textures and methods to characterize them are introduced. Bioinspired textures are currently developed using mostly photolithographic technique with patterns showing a high efficiency on single marine species through laboratory bioassays. The efficiency of a texture with spaced features appears clearly dependent on its dimensions in regard of the size of the targeted organisms. On the grounds of how marine species fight against biofoulers, further research on the development of multistrategies antifouling solutions should be conducted.