Paint-On Material Shakes Barnacles from Ships' Hulls

Feb-02-13 Researchers have developed a “twitch material” designed to keep ships’ hulls barnacle-free by physically shaking them off.

The material, from a team at Duke University, can be applied like paint to the ship’s hull. It works through physical movement to dislodge bacteria in much the same way a horse wrinkles its skin to dislodge flies. When the material is exposed to a stimulus, such as stretching, pressure or an electrical current, it will wrinkle and detach the biofilms and other organisms attached to its surface.

The material could prove a welcome alternative to the toxic or labor intensive methods currently in use, and could also have applications in preventing the buildup of biofilm on medical implants such as artificial joints.

Image: Phanindhar Shivapooja et. al
An electric field distorts the material, dislodging 95 percent of persistent bacteria

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[POPSCI.COM]
[DUKE UNIVERSITY]

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