title: Antifouling properties of zinc oxide nanorod coatings.
abstract: In laboratory experiments, the antifouling (AF) properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorod coatings were investigated using the marine bacterium Acinetobacter sp. AZ4C, larvae of the bryozoan Bugula neritina and the microalga Tetraselmis sp. ZnO nanorod coatings were fabricated on microscope glass substrata by a simple hydrothermal technique using two different molar concentrations (5 and 10 mM) of zinc precursors. These coatings were tested for 5 h under artificial sunlight (1060 W m(-2) or 530 W m(-2)) and in the dark (no irradiation). In the presence of light, both the ZnO nanorod coatings significantly reduced the density of Acinetobacter sp. AZ4C and Tetraselmis sp. in comparison to the control (microscope glass substratum without a ZnO coating). High mortality and low settlement of B. neritina larvae was observed on ZnO nanorod coatings subjected to light irradiation. In darkness, neither mortality nor enhanced settlement of larvae was observed. Larvae of B. neritina were not affected by Zn(2+) ions. The AF effect of the ZnO nanorod coatings was thus attributed to the reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by photocatalysis. It was concluded that ZnO nanorod coatings effectively prevented marine micro and macrofouling in static conditions.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences , Sultan Qaboos University , PO Box 17, Postal Code - 123, Al Khoud, Muscat , Sultanate of Oman.
authors.forename: Marwan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Fori
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dobretsov
authors.forename: Myo Tay Zar
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Myint
authors.forename: Joydeep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dutta
mesh_terms: D000150:Acinetobacter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018441:Biofilms / Q000187:drug effects*; D057219:Biofouling / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002013:Bryozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D058086:Microalgae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D043942:Nanotubes / Q000737:chemistry*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D015034:Zinc Oxide
keywords: antifouling; bacteria; bryozoa; nanotechnology; photocatalysis; zinc oxide