Antifouling and antimicrobial coatings based on sol–gel films

Biofouling is an undesirable process in which biological molecules and organisms adhere to a surface. This process causes severe negative effects in various fields including healthcare, water distillation, and marine transportation. Therefore, its prevention is highly explored. Here, the prevention of biofouling by thin films, based on different sol–gel precursors, was studied. Specifically, films were formed by methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS), phenyltrimethoxysilane (PTMOS), 3,3,3-trifluropropyltrimethoxysilane (FTMOS), or 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) using spin-coating on glass. We found that hydrophobicity alone showed a moderate effect on the number of adsorbed bacteria onto the surface. The APTMS film showed, as expected, antibacterial properties and its combination with FTMOS led to a significant prevention of protein and bacterial adsorption. These results emphasize that a dual effect of antifouling and antibacterial properties, is preferred in the prevention of biomass on surfaces. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].