Bioresponse to polymeric substrates: Effect of surface energy, modulus, topography, and surface graft copolymers

Biofouling is the accumulation of biological matter on a substrate. It is essential to elucidate and model the major factors that affect both biological settlement and adhesion to substrates in order to develop coatings that minimize initial fouling or ease the removal of this fouling. To date, models that have estimated adhesion strength to coatings primarily included bulk elastic modulus and surface energy. Topography, however, has been found to dominate both these terms in the reduction of settlement and has been found to affect the adhesion strength as well.; Silicone foul release coatings have demonstrated moderate success in the prevention of marine biofouling because of their low modulus and low surface energy. Problems exist with durability and eventual fouling of the coating due to the overgrowth of foulants that prefer hydrophobic substrates. This research details the characterization and the surface and bulk modification of a commercially available silicone elastomer. The modifications include bulk additives, surface topography, and surface graft copolymers. The effect of these modifications on biological response was then assayed using the alga Ulva as a model for marine biofouling.; The unmodified silicone elastomer has a bulk modulus of approximately 1 MPa. The addition of vinyl functional polydimethylsiloxane oils allowed for a greater than 200% increase or a 90% decrease in the bulk modulus of the material. The addition of non-reactive polydimethylsiloxane oils allowed for a change in the surface lubricity of the elastomer without a significant change in the mechanical properties.; Topographical modifications of the surface show a profound effect on the bioresponse. Appropriately scaled engineered microtopographies replicated in the silicone elastomer can produce a 250% increase in algal zoospore fouling or an 85% reduction in settlement relative to a smooth silicone elastomer.; Finally, the modification of the surface energy of this material was achieved by acid catalyzed surface hydrolysis and subsequent grafting of poly(ethylene glycol), polysulfone, or perfluoropolyether. The water contact angle could be increased by 16% or decreased by 60% relative to the silicone elastomer control. These surfaces were characterized by various contact angle techniques, ATR-FTIR, and XPS. These surface grafts were also combined with the topographical modifications to evaluate the relative significance of these two factors on bioresponse.