510 results about "Biofouling" patented technology

A biosensor including an external surface, and an accessory material in close proximity to the external surface. The accessory material includes a coating containing a hydrophilic material and/or a fiber modified to deliver a therapeutic agent. The biosensor modifies a biological response to the biosensor upon contact with a tissue, such as upon implantation into the skin of a subject, thereby reducing biofouling, inflammation and other undesirable tissue responses that interfere with biosensor performance. The biosensor can be any biocompatible sensor, suitable for short- or long-term use. Preferably, the biosensor is an enzymatic or electrochemical sensor, such as a glucose sensor. Also provided are a method of producing a biosensor and a method of delivering a biologically active substance to a subject.

An in vivo biosensor disposed upon a subject comprising an electrochemical cell having a plurality of electrodes and a computer-controlled voltage source incorporating a potentiostat that is generative of a poise potential regime, which computer-controlled voltage source is operationally coupled to a computing device that: computes an output current whose magnitude is proportional to an amount of an analyte in a bodily fluid of the subject; and, adjusts the output current for drift due to biofouling at points in time greater than or equal to an induction period; and, outputs the amount of the analyte by transducing the adjusted output current. Methods and algorithms for adjusting the output current for drift due to biofouling are provided.

The invention discloses a nontoxic antifouling paint for an oceanographic ship and facilities and a method for preparing the paint. The paint consists of the following components in percentage by weight: 15 to 55 percent of base material, 0.01 to 10 percent of antifouling agent, 10 to 30 percent of filler, 0.3 to 25 percent of pigment, 2 to 8 percent of auxiliary agent and 3 to 55 percent of solvent, wherein the antifouling agent is silver grains with average grain diameter of between 1 and 200nm. The paint does not contain toxic agents, such as dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, organic tin,cuprous oxide and the like, at all while effectively suppressing corrosion of marine biological attachments, meets the related regulations of international maritime organization and future development trend of the antifouling paint, realizes non-toxicity and environmental friendliness of the marine antifouling technology, and can be widely applied to the facilities and the fields, such as ships, floating piers, marine oil platforms, submarine cables, cooling pipes of power plant near the sea, sea water culture net cage and the like.

A system includes a UV light source and an optical medium coupled to receive UV light from the UV light source. The optical medium is configured to emit UV light proximate to a surface from which biofouling is to be removed once the biofouling has adhered to the protected surface. A method corresponds to the system.

A microdevice is provided for controlling fluid flow. The microdevice includes a substantially planar contact surface and a plurality of fluid-transporting features associated therewith. Also included is a substrate having a substantially planar contact surface and a fluid-transporting feature associated therewith. The contact surfaces are positioned in slidable and fluid-tight contact to allow for controllable formation of a plurality of different flow paths upon alignment of the substrate fluid-transporting feature with each cover plate fluid-transporting features in succession. Typically, at least one of the cover plate and substrate is comprised of a biofouling resistant polymer, and the flow paths are of different lengths. Optionally, a plurality of fluid-transporting features is associated with the substrate so that flow paths are formed as a result of a different alignment of the fluid-transporting features.

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method to prevent biofouling of underwater optical systems using ultraviolet light generated from within a pressure vessel and through an optics window, without removing the optical systems from the water and without disbursement of chemicals into the water.

Techniques and apparatus inhibit, limit, or remove biofouling and certain inorganic accumulations, to increase the longevity of accurate in-situ oceanographic and other underwater measurements and transducing processes. The invention deters formation of an initial bacterial layer and other precipitation, without harming the environment. The invention integrates an ultrasonic source into a sensor or other device, or its supporting structures. The ultrasonic source vibrates one or more critical surfaces of the device at a frequency and amplitude that dislodge early accumulations, thus preventing the rest of the fouling sequence. The ultrasonic driver is activated for short periods and low duty cycles, and in some cases preferably while the device is not operating.

The invention relates to a self-sustaining marine environment monitoring system used in an offshore area. The system comprises a jellyfish, a measuring platform and an anchoring system; wherein, the anchoring system consists of an anchoring injection wire rope, a tension hammer, a storage chain, a heavy anchor block and a high holding power anchor. The measuring platform comprises a platform frame body, a buoyancy floating ball, a motor battery tank, a thermohaline depth sensor, a pawl mechanism, etc. The lower end of the jellyfish is connected with the upper end of the anchoring injection wire rope; the anchoring injection wire rope overhangs from the surface to the bottom of the offshore; the tension hammer, the storage chain, the heavy anchor block and the high holding power anchor are hung at the lower end of the anchoring injection wire rope. The measuring platform is spanned on the anchoring injection wire rope by the special transmission pawl mechanism; the measuring platform dives from the surface to the bottom of the offshore along the anchoring injection wire rope under the driving of the waves, can also float upward by the self positive buoyancy and carry out measuring and storing on the water body parameters by a sensor carried by the measuring platform during the upward floating process. The self-sustaining marine environment monitoring system has the characteristics of high efficiency, energy saving, low cost and high anti-biological adhesive ability.

Aluminophosphate compounds and compositions as can be used for substrate or composite films and coating to provide or enhance, without limitation, planarization, anti-biofouling and/or anti-microbial properties.

The present invention discloses a method for forming a low biofouling filtration membrane. First, an ozone treatment is performed to a fluorine-based porous membrane to introduce peroxides on surface. Afterwards, a first grafting polymerization is initiated from the peroxides, and functional monomers are polymerized to introduce halide groups on surface. Finally, a second grafting polymerization is initiated from the halide groups, and macro-monomers are polymerized to introduce zwitterionic group on surface, so as to form the low biofouling filtration membrane.

An optically clear biofouling resistant coating compositions specially formulated for very high light transmission and more particularly coating compositions which can be applied to marine instruments and sensors. The compositions provide a biofouling resistant coating on the surface of the marine instruments and sensors which prevents underwater organisms from adhering and growing on the surfaces of the structures over a long period of time.

A cross-flow filtration apparatus is provided. The cross-flow filter is a spiral wound filter that includes a semi-permeable membrane wrapped around a perforated central tube. The semi-permeable membrane includes a feed spacer and a membrane. The feed spacer is a biocidal feed spacer with a biocidal agent impregnated within the feed spacer to prevent biofouling of the feed spacer and the membrane.

The invention is a process useful for providing a treated support comprising a porous nanoweb coating wherein the treated support is characterized by a biofilm cell count of less than 50% that of an untreated porous support control. The process is useful for modifying porous materials, such as filter media and barrier fabrics to provide resistance to biofouling. The porous nanoweb coating is comprised of fibrous structures derived from gelation and drying of supramolecular assemblies of non-covalently bonded organogelators. Typical organogelators useful in the invention include those that assemble via hydrogen bonding and π-stacking.

This invention discloses an anti-biofouling membrane for water-treatment. The anti-biofouling membrane for water-treatment comprises a substrate, and an anti-biofouling copolymer on the substrate. The anti-biofouling copolymer comprises a plurality of hydrophobic groups and a plurality of hydrophilic groups. The anti-biofouling copolymer can be stably coated on the surface of the substrate by the hydrophobic groups. And the hydrophilic groups can help the anti-biofouling membrane to present excellent anti-biofouling capability. Preferably, the anti-biofouling copolymer coated on the substrate will not decrease the permeability of the substrate. More preferably, the presented capability of the mentioned anti-biofouling membrane for water-treatment can achieve the commercial level filtering membrane.

The use of an aromatic compound substituted with at least one heterocyclic amine and possibly additional substituents, such as medetomidine and clonidine, or a functionally analogous derivative thereof, as an agent for the inhibition of marine biofouling on a surface, by application thereon of said compound, is disclosed. Also a method for inhibition of marine biofouling on a surface by application of said compound is disclosed.

The invention relates to compounds, compositions and methods for biofilm disruption and prevention. In particular, the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions for the disruption of biofilm and prevention of biofilm in patients. The invention also relates to anti-biofouling compositions for the disruption of biofilm and prevention of biofilm on surfaces. The invention also relates to the removal of biological material from surfaces. The compositions of the invention include microbial deoxyribonucleases.

The present invention is directed to a method for modifying polymeric membranes to mitigate biofouling. More particularly, dopamine powder is dissolved in a buffer solution, and the membrane surface is exposed to the solution, resulting in the formation of a polydopamine thin film on the membrane. The surface of the polydopamine-modified membrane is then exposed to AgNO₃ solutions, resulting in the formation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the membrane surface. The resulting membrane is expected to be resistant to biofouling for at least two reasons. First, polydopamine is extremely hydrophilic and thus membranes modified with polydopamine are resistant to bacterial attachment, which is the first stage of the biofouling process. Second, silver nanoparticles are antimicrobial and these nanoparticles on the membrane surface serve to inactivate depositing bacteria, and thus, retard the growth and proliferation of bacteria on the membrane.

The invention discloses an antifouling paint for ship and marine facility, comprising the following ingredients by weight percent: 30-45wt% of scale glass, 15-25wt% of acrylic resin, 0-5wt% of rosin, 5-10wt% of asphalt, 5-15wt% of dimethylbenzene, 3-5wt% of bentonite, 0-5wt% of barium sulphate, 2-5wt% of talcum powder, 2-10wt% of ferric oxide and 5-8wt% of zinc oxide. The used scale glass can be adjusted in blending ratio thereof, or the percent content of the scale glass in the antifouling paint is adjusted, so as to control release rate of Cu+; the antifouling paint can release Cu+ chronically, slowly and stably at expected speed under the soaking of sea water; the formed paint film has obvious antifouling anti-algae capability and can prevent marine life from being adhered on the surface of ship and ocean facility, protection degree on paint film of ship and marine facility is effectively improved, and the antifouling paint is non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

The invention relates to a preparation method of an antifouling material having a crossed regular microstructure on the surface. The method comprises the following steps of: etching a microstructure with a crossed pattern on a photomask, and arranging crossed cylindrical basic units with conical tail ends in a staggered way to form an array; forming a microstructure of a specified depth on the surface of a silicon chip by adopting a plasma deep silicon etching process; and preparing the antifouling material with themicrostructure by adopting a method for rolling over and copying polydimethylsiloxane. Due to the adoption of the crossed pattern of the microstructure and the arrangement mode, the contact area between a fouling organism and the material is reduced, the surface hydrophobicity of the material is enhanced, and adhesion of fouling organisms such as ulva spores, diatoms, barnacle larvae and the like can be effectively prevented. According to the material, an antifouling effectis achieved by using the microstructure on the surface, and loss is avoided; and moreover, the antifouling material can be self-cleaned under the action of water current erosion, is an environmentally-friendly antifouling material, and can be used for preventing and eliminating bio-fouling on the surfaces of ships and marine structural objects under marine environment.