Bionanoscaffolds-Enabled Non-Wetting Surfaces for Antibiofouling Applications

This paper presents biological nano-scaffolds (BNS)-assisted formation of non-wetting polymeric surfaces with excellent antibiofouling performance. Particularly, Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-templated metallic nanoscaffolds, self-assembled on Au substrates followed by a simple spin-and-dry coating of a fluorinated polymer solution, provide complex micro/nanoscale structured surfaces with non-wetting properties. The BNS-based superhydrophobic surfaces demonstrated significantly enhanced water-repellent properties compared to a planar/non-structured counterpart, 1) showing no sign of solid-liquid attraction (contact angle: ~180
^o
) with DI water, and 2) achieving complete and repeated droplet bouncing without surface pinning events. More significantly, in a static 48-hour biofilm growth experiment, the BNS-based superhydrophobic surfaces resulted in a 6-fold reduction in adherent biofilm compared to their planar counterparts, most likely attributed to the extreme non-adherent property combined with complex surface morphology. Combined results provide a simple and powerful method for achieving the robust non-wetting/anti-biofouling surfaces needed in a broad range of applications.