Nanotechnology-Based Solutions for Antibiofouling Applications: An Overview

Biofouling is a serious concern and can cause healthrisks andfinancial burdens in many settings such as maritime structures, medicaldevices, and water treatment plants. Many technologies employing toxicbiocides, antifouling toxic coatings, and chlorine have been establishedto prevent or impede biofouling. However, their applications are limiteddue to environmental and health concerns regarding biocides and coatingmaterials. To overcome this, novel antifouling coatings employingecofriendly, non-toxic nanomaterials and appreciable antimicrobialand antibiofilm properties have been developed. Due to intrinsic antimicrobialproperties, these antifouling nanocoatings have been proven to beeffective against several water-borne microorganisms. Various nanostructuresof metals (silver, copper, and gold), metal oxides (zinc oxide, titaniumoxide, copper oxide, and cerium oxide), carbon (graphene and carbonnanotubes), and metal nanocomposites inhibit the biocorrosion andbiofilm formation caused by bacteria. Besides, antifouling technologydeveloped based on nanocontainers releases key active substances thatpromote self-cleaning, anticorrosion, and antibiofilm properties.This review provides a comprehensive overview of nanotechnology-enabledantifouling agents developed to combat micro- and macrofouling phenomena.Moreover, the recent progress in the applications of antifouling coatingsin industrial sectors such as marine (ships), water-treatment plants,and medical devices is elaborated with relevant examples. The mechanisticinsights into the inhibitory action of bacterial cell growth and biofilmformation by antifouling nanocoatings are presented. The challengesassociated with developing antifouling nanoproducts, their practicallimitations, and prospects are also discussed.