Biomimetic Surfaces: Copy nature to deter bacteria and keep ship hulls smooth
You might not think keeping a boat hull smooth in the water has anything in common with keeping a scalpel clean for surgery, but it does: either way, you are trying to prevent nature (barnacles or biofilm) from growing. on a surface. Science has turned to nature and found that the micro-patterns formed by certain shark scales or lotus leaves demonstrate a very elegant way to prevent biofouling that we can copy.
In the case of marine growth attaching and growing on the hull of a ship, the main problem is that of increased drag. This increases fuel consumption and reduces the overall efficiency of the vessel, requiring regular cleaning to remove this biofouling. In a hospital context, this layer of growth becomes even more crucial. Every year, a large number of hospitalized patients suffer from infections, despite the use of single-use catheters and sterile packaging.
Biofilm formation
The formation of biofilms dates back to the earliest days of prokaryotic life, as evidenced by fossil evidence in the form of stromatolites.Basically, these biofilms appear to be a defensive mechanism that prokaryotic species originally evolved to cope with harsh environments. difficult, while allowing for the formation of florissan prokaryotic colonies your. These colonies can also support the growth of more complex life forms.
Over time, eukaryotic life forms would adopt a similar strategy, where after initial attachment to a surface, an extracellular matrix would be created. These biological glues and structures provide organisms with protection against desiccation and predation, as well as other potentially harmful influences.
In a marine environment, these biofilms provide multicellular lifeforms not only with a surface to attach themselves to, but also with an accompanying ecosystem. In the case of barnacles, for example, the presence and type of biofilm is paramount in the selection of a specific attachment site when a young barnacle lady slipper transitions to its immobile adult state. Similar patterns are seen with other marine species, the result of which is a thriving, albeit unwanted, ecosystem on a ship's hull.
Since the formation of a biofilm requires only a few traces of moisture in the presence of bacteria and relatives, this makes it the...
You might not think keeping a boat hull smooth in the water has anything in common with keeping a scalpel clean for surgery, but it does: either way, you are trying to prevent nature (barnacles or biofilm) from growing. on a surface. Science has turned to nature and found that the micro-patterns formed by certain shark scales or lotus leaves demonstrate a very elegant way to prevent biofouling that we can copy.
In the case of marine growth attaching and growing on the hull of a ship, the main problem is that of increased drag. This increases fuel consumption and reduces the overall efficiency of the vessel, requiring regular cleaning to remove this biofouling. In a hospital context, this layer of growth becomes even more crucial. Every year, a large number of hospitalized patients suffer from infections, despite the use of single-use catheters and sterile packaging.
Biofilm formation The formation of biofilms dates back to the earliest days of prokaryotic life, as evidenced by fossil evidence in the form of stromatolites.Basically, these biofilms appear to be a defensive mechanism that prokaryotic species originally evolved to cope with harsh environments. difficult, while allowing for the formation of florissan prokaryotic colonies your. These colonies can also support the growth of more complex life forms.
Over time, eukaryotic life forms would adopt a similar strategy, where after initial attachment to a surface, an extracellular matrix would be created. These biological glues and structures provide organisms with protection against desiccation and predation, as well as other potentially harmful influences.
In a marine environment, these biofilms provide multicellular lifeforms not only with a surface to attach themselves to, but also with an accompanying ecosystem. In the case of barnacles, for example, the presence and type of biofilm is paramount in the selection of a specific attachment site when a young barnacle lady slipper transitions to its immobile adult state. Similar patterns are seen with other marine species, the result of which is a thriving, albeit unwanted, ecosystem on a ship's hull.
Since the formation of a biofilm requires only a few traces of moisture in the presence of bacteria and relatives, this makes it the...
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