Marine antifouling performance of polymer coatings incorporating zwitterions.

Zwitterionic materials display antifouling promise, but their potential in marine anti-biofouling is still largely unexplored. This study evaluates the effectiveness of incorporating small quantities (0-20% on a molar basis) of zwitterions as sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) or carboxybetaine methacrylate (CBMA) into lauryl methacrylate-based coatings whose relatively hydrophobic nature encourages adhesion of the diatom Navicula incerta, a common microfouling organism responsible for the formation of 'slime'. This approach allows potential enhancements in antifouling afforded by zwitterion incorporation to be easily quantified. The results suggest that the incorporation of CBMA does provide a relatively minor enhancement in fouling-release performance, in contrast to SBMA which does not display any enhancement. Studies with coatings incorporating mixtures of varying ratios of the cationic monomer [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride and the anionic monomer (3-sulfopropyl)methacrylate, which offer a potentially lower cost approach to the incorporation of anionic and cationic charge, suggest these monomers impart little significant effect on biofouling.

Characterisation and analytical potential of a photo-responsive polymeric material based on spiropyran.

In this paper we consider the critical issues inhibiting the widespread deployment of bio/chemo-sensors in wireless sensor networks. Primary among these is the problem of performing calibration at remote locations, and the consequent need for integrated fluidic systems for performing tasks like sampling, calibration and detection. Our conclusion is that low-cost, bio/chemo-sensing platforms that provide reliable information over long periods of use will only be realised through the use of microfluidic platforms that are much more biomimetic in nature than technologies employed in current devices. Central to driving down costs will be the development of fluidic platforms with integrated soft polymer actuators that will replace existing pumps and valves. A particularly attractive approach is to employ photo-controlled polymer actuators, wherein the status of the material can be effectively switched using light, as this allows physical separation of the control layer from the fluidic platform layer in a planar system. This, in principle, should greatly simplify manufacturing and therefore drive down costs. In this paper, we describe a polymeric gel and a linear polymer modified with a photochromic moiety and show that it is possible to utilize photochromic molecules for performing sensing and actuating functions.