image: The picture shows the colonization of a solid substrate in the intertidal zone by the Californian mussel (<i>Mytilus californianus</i>) as well as barnacles and a sea star. The new coating described in this study deters attachment by hard fouling organisms such as mussels. This material relates to a paper that appeared in the 18 August 2017, issue of <i>Science</i>, published by AAAS. The paper, by S. Amini at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, and colleagues was titled, "Preventing mussel adhesion using lubricant-infused materials." view more
Credit: Picture courtesy of Larry J. Friesen
种注入润滑剂的聚合物可减少积垢问题，即贻贝、藤壶和其它生物在船体和船舶管系结壳的问题。由Shahrouz Amini和同事所测试的这种聚合物可让贻贝等上当，令它们以为这种涂层表面不够结实而无法附着其上，这些动物因此而不太可能产生其常见的粘附细丝，并减少这些细丝的附着。结垢会带来显著的经济问题，它会连累船只，令其油耗增加；它会堵塞港口中的循环管道，并有时会引入对当地生态系统带来极大危害的外来物种。科研人员所用的涂料含有一种润滑剂，它被限于和海水不会起反应的聚合物的最外层。在实验室中以及在对真实船体所做的测试中，贻贝会用其肌肉触足来探索涂层，但它们似乎会判断这些含有润滑剂的涂层过于柔软而不会产生其通常分泌的被称作贻贝丝的蛋白细丝，贻贝就是通过这些细丝进行附着的。这种聚合物的性能要优于某些顶级的商用抗结垢涂料；作者说，它或能抵御若干种结垢生物，其中包括有被囊的蠕虫和黏质物。
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Journal
Science