PMID: 19928248Nov 26, 2009Paper

Surface modification of titanium using nanothin films of copper for biofouling control

Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Vinita VishwakarmaR K Daya

Abstract

Biofouling is one of the major impediment in the use of titanium, which is otherwise excellent material with respect to corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, for seawater-cooled condensers of power plants. The routine chlorination treatment and sponge ball cleaning may not be successful to keep the titanium condenser tube clean over a period extending to years. This brings into focus the relevance of surface modification of titanium to improve the antimicrobial properties, which can effectively supplement the present treatment programmes. In this study antimicrobial thin film of copper (Cu) is developed on titanium surfaces, as copper is known to be very toxic to microorganisms and effectively kills most of the microbes by blocking the respiratory enzyme system. The preparation of nanocrystalline thin films of copper on titanium surfaces was done by pulsed DC magnetron-sputtering technique. Then this thin film was characterized using Glancing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Antimicrobial properties of these specimens were evaluated by exposure studies in seawater. Results showed two order decrease in the bacterial density on copper coated surface and epifluorescence micrographs d...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 8, 2015·Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications·Judy GopalMukesh Doble

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Biofilms

Biofilms are adherent bacterial communities embedded in a polymer matrix and can cause persistent human infections that are highly resistant to antibiotics. Discover the latest research on Biofilms here.