TOWARD BIOLOGICAL ANTIFOULING SURFACE-COATINGS - MARINE-BACTERIA IMMOBILIZED IN HYDROGEL INHIBIT BARNACLE LARVAE

A new concept for the prevention of macrofouling has been developed, based on the immobilization of marine bacteria in hydrogels. A marine Gram-negative bacterium used in this study produces at least two extracellular components that inhibit the settlement of invertebrate larvae on surfaces. It was demonstrated that a 3-5% monomer concentration allowed for an optimum polyaclrylamide gel coating both with respect to the viability of bacteria and barnacle larvae as well as to appropriate mechanical properties and gel pore size. In laboratory experiments these gel surfaces proved to be less favorable for the viability of barnacle larvae than gel surfaces without immobilized bacteria.