Development of Graphene Based Anti-Biofouling Coating

水产养殖的重要性日益增加，预计到2030年，60%以上的海产品将来自养殖场（联合国粮农组织）。它是全球粮食安全的重要产业，估计每年价值超过850亿美元。渔网和其他水下基础设施的生物污染是该行业面临的一大挑战，据估计，处理生物污染的成本占所有运营成本的10%至20%。封闭的渔网意味着污染和缺氧的水不能与淡水充分交换，导致牲畜和压力大、生病的鱼的损失，这反过来又增加了对抗生素的需求。目前的抗生物污染技术绝大多数是基于杀菌剂，随着时间的推移，杀菌剂会在环境和原料本身中积累，进而被人类摄入。行业和监管机构认为，目前的解决方案是不够的。NanoRegMed开发了一种新型疏水抗菌石墨烯涂层，有望解决这一问题。这种材料的强度是钢的十倍，是在医学背景下开发的，它模仿了自然界中出现的超疏水表面，比如蝴蝶的翅膀。这项研究和开发的目的是优化材料，作为水产养殖基础设施的抗生物污染涂层。这种产品的市场需求量很大。

Aquaculture is increasing in importance, with over 60% of seafood products expected to come from farms by 2030 (UNFAO). It is a vital industry for global food security and estimated to be worth over $85 billion annually. Biofouling of nets and other submerged infrastructure represents a major challenge for the industry with estimates that dealing with it accounts for between 10% and 20% of all operational costs. Occluded nets mean that fouled and de-oxygenated water is not adequately exchanged with fresh water, resulting in loss of livestock and stressed, sick fish, which in turn increases the need for antibiotics. Current anti-biofouling technologies are overwhelmingly based on biocides, which over time build up in the environment and the feedstock itself, which is in turn ingested by humans. The current solutions are regarded by industry and regulators as inadequate. NanoRegMed has developed a novel hydrophobic and anti-bacterial graphene-based coating which has the potential to address this issue. The material, which is ten times stronger than steel, was developed in a medical context and mimics superhydrophobic surfaces that occur in nature, such as butterfly wings. The aim of this research and development is optimisation of the material as an anti-biofouling coating for aquaculture infrastructure. There is a very strong market demand for such a product.