Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Dynamic Surface Antifouling Materials

This study proposes dynamic surface antifouling materials that continuously change their surface properties to prevent marine organisms from colonizing underwater structures. This approach could reduce the need for toxic chemical antifouling coatings on ships and marine infrastructure.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Inside Back Cover

This journal back cover describes a dynamic surface antifouling material that prevents marine organisms from attaching by continuously renewing its surface through polymer degradation. The degradation process produces small, harmless molecules rather than microplastics, making the material more environmentally friendly than conventional antifouling coatings.

2023 Chinese Journal of Chemistry
Article Tier 2

Degradable Vinyl Polymers for Combating Marine Biofouling

Researchers developed degradable vinyl polymers designed to combat marine biofouling, creating antifouling coatings that break down in seawater to reduce long-term microplastic accumulation while effectively preventing barnacle and algal attachment.

2022 Accounts of Chemical Research 116 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine microbial biofilms on diverse abiotic surfaces

This review provides an overview of how microbial biofilms form on various non-living surfaces in the ocean, including microplastics, seafloor sediments, and submerged structures. Researchers describe how these surface-attached microbial communities have unique compositions and functions that influence ocean ecology and biochemical processes. The study also examines how biofilms contribute to biocorrosion and biofouling, highlighting their broad significance for both natural marine systems and human-built infrastructure.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental Assessment of the Performance of Two Marine Coatings to Curb Biofilm Formation of Microfoulers

Researchers experimentally tested two marine antifouling coatings to see how well they prevented biofilm (microbial slime) from forming on submerged surfaces. The study provides data relevant to reducing biofouling on ships and marine structures, which can affect vessel performance and the spread of invasive species.

2020 Coatings 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of antifouling technology application on Marine ecological environment

This review examines the development and environmental impacts of marine antifouling technologies, finding that uncontrolled use poses irreversible risks to the marine biosphere and calling for comprehensive biofouling prevention strategies with lower ecological toxicity.

2022 Sustainable Marine Structures
Article Tier 2

Microbial Colonization in Marine Environments: Overview of Current Knowledge and Emerging Research Topics

This review examines how microorganisms colonize submerged surfaces in aquatic environments, with a focus on the factors shaping biofilm communities on microplastics. The authors discuss how the chemical and physical properties of plastic surfaces influence microbial attachment and community development compared to natural substrates.

2020 Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 154 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine biofouling organisms on macro and microplastics

This thesis reviewed biofouling organisms — bacteria, algae, and invertebrates — that colonize both macro and microplastics in marine environments. Biofouling communities on plastic surfaces change the buoyancy and transport of plastic particles and can carry invasive species to new locations.

2023 DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC))
Article Tier 2

Cross‐Linked but Self‐Healing and Entirely Degradable Poly‐Schiff Base Metal Complex Materials for Potential Anti‐Biofouling

This materials science paper developed a degradable yet self-healing polymer material with tunable mechanical properties by combining reversible imine bonds and metal-ligand coordination chemistry. Degradable polymers that can also heal themselves after damage represent an approach to reducing plastic waste by extending material lifespan.

2021 Advanced Materials Interfaces 18 citations
Article Tier 2

Interfacial Engineering of Soft Matter Substrates by Solid-State Polymer Adsorption

Researchers investigated interfacial engineering of soft matter substrates through solid-state polymer adsorption, examining how polymer films modify surface properties with implications for materials design and the broader understanding of polymer behavior relevant to plastic persistence in the environment.

2024 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on microbial-biofilm mediated mechanisms in marine microplastics degradation

This review examines how microbial biofilms form on microplastics in marine environments and their potential role in degrading these persistent pollutants. Researchers found that plastic-associated biofilm communities are diverse and influenced by factors such as polymer type, particle size, and seasonal conditions. The study identifies knowledge gaps in understanding how bacterial and fungal communities on microplastics may contribute to their breakdown in ocean environments.

2025 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Transitioning towards environmentally benign marine antifouling coatings

A review of sustainable marine antifouling coatings examines technical challenges, market barriers, and incentives for environmentally benign alternatives to biocide-based systems, advocating for multi-stakeholder collaboration among scientists, engineers, industry, and regulators to develop viable solutions.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilms of Pseudomonas and Lysinibacillus Marine Strains on High-Density Polyethylene

Researchers examined biofilm formation by Pseudomonas and Lysinibacillus marine bacterial strains on high-density polyethylene, investigating how abiotic weathering of the polymer surface affects bacterial adhesion and biofilm strategies relevant to potential plastic biodegradation in marine environments.

2021 Microbial Ecology 45 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilms associated with ship submerged surfaces: implications for ship biofouling management and the environment

This paper is not about microplastics; it reviews how microbial biofilms form on ship hulls and how in-water cleaning might manage biofouling and the spread of non-indigenous marine species.

2023 Frontiers in Marine Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of biofouling on the sinking behavior of microplastics

Researchers studied how biofouling — the accumulation of microorganisms and organic matter on particle surfaces — alters the sinking behavior of microplastics, finding that biofouled particles sink faster and are more likely to reach seafloor sediments.

2017 Environmental Research Letters 648 citations
Article Tier 2

Impacts of Biofilm Formation on the Fate and Potential Effects of Microplastic in the Aquatic Environment

Researchers reviewed how biofilm formation on microplastic surfaces affects the fate and potential ecological effects of microplastics in aquatic environments, finding that biofilms alter particle buoyancy, surface chemistry, and interactions with organisms.

2017 Environmental Science & Technology Letters 1318 citations
Article Tier 2

Seawater‐Degradable Polymers: Seawater‐Degradable Polymers—Fighting the Marine Plastic Pollution (Adv. Sci. 1/2021)

This review examines polymers designed to degrade in seawater as a potential strategy to combat marine plastic pollution, covering material properties, degradation mechanisms, and the environmental context of marine microplastic impacts. Even seawater-degradable polymers require careful evaluation since the consequences of marine plastic pollution are still not fully understood.

2021 Advanced Science 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Biofilm Dynamics and Environmental Implications on Plastic Surfaces

This chapter reviews biofilm formation dynamics on marine microplastics, examining how material properties, environmental conditions, and microbial succession drive plastisphere development and discussing ecological implications including the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

2025
Article Tier 2

Antibacterial-renew dual-function anti-biofouling strategy: Self-assembled Schiff-base metal complex coatings built from natural products

Researchers developed a self-renewing anti-biofouling coating by combining tobramycin and protocatechualdehyde into a Schiff-base metal complex assembled via layer-by-layer deposition, demonstrating dual antibacterial and self-renewal functionality for preventing marine biofouling without conventional toxic antifoulants.

2022 Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Bacterial Abundance, Diversity and Activity During Long-Term Colonization of Non-biodegradable and Biodegradable Plastics in Seawater

Biofilm communities on conventional (polyethylene and polystyrene) and biodegradable plastics were tracked over 7 months of seawater immersion, finding highly abundant and diverse plastisphere communities on all polymer types but limited evidence of active plastic biodegradation under natural marine conditions.

2021 Frontiers in Microbiology 84 citations
Article Tier 2

Structural and Functional Characteristics of Microplastic Associated Biofilms in Response to Temporal Dynamics and Polymer Types

Researchers found that biofilm structural and functional characteristics on microplastics differ significantly depending on polymer type (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) and change over time, with implications for understanding microbial colonization and the plastisphere.

2021 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Degradable plastics could help to protect the marine environment: proof based on pollutant surface behaviors

This study provided experimental evidence that degradable plastic polymers release fewer persistent hydrophobic pollutants through surface adsorption-desorption processes in marine environments compared to conventional plastics, supporting the argument that degradable plastics could reduce the marine environment's chemical pollution burden.

2025 New Journal of Chemistry 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Role of biofilms in the degradation of microplastics in aquatic environments

This review examined the role of microbial biofilms in degrading microplastics in aquatic environments, highlighting the potential for biofilm-mediated biodegradation as a natural mechanism for breaking down recalcitrant plastic pollutants.

2021 Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology 140 citations
Article Tier 2

An Overview on the Adhesion Mechanisms of Typical Aquatic Organisms and the Applications of Biomimetic Adhesives in Aquatic Environments

This review examines how marine organisms like mussels, sandcastle worms, and barnacles achieve strong underwater adhesion, and how their strategies inspire biomimetic adhesive development. Researchers summarized the molecular mechanisms behind these natural adhesives and their potential applications in aquatic environments. The work is relevant to understanding how organisms interact with submerged surfaces, including plastic debris that accumulates biofilms in marine settings.

2024 International Journal of Molecular Sciences 15 citations