Biofouling control of titanium by microroughness reduction

The effects of repeated pickling and polishing on biofouling of titanium surfaces were investigated using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) and standard microbiological methods. Titanium surfaces (i) once pickled (control), (ii) repeatedly pickled (five pickling cycles of 5 min duration) and (iii) polished (surface finish of 1000 grit silicon carbide paper) were exposed to seawater. A decrease of one order of magnitude in bacterial and algal attachment was recorded on the repeatedly pickled and polished titanium surfaces compared to the control surfaces. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using MYSTAT software involving Tukey-Kramer Multiple CLSM used as an effective tool to measure the microroughness of the test surfaces as well as to quantify the biofilm forming tendency on these surfaces. The results indicated that microroughness reduction leads to significant decrease in biofouling.