| Biofouling is a ubiquitous problem in nature and causes serious problems in the chemical, pharmaceutical, medical, and oil industries. Biofilm formation in water distribution systems and medical devices pose numerous health problems. Although biofilm research has been progressing rapidly since the last decade, the current approaches to control biofouling suffer from some disadvantages like high costs, rapid loss of activity and degradation with time, inability to act against a broad range of bacteria and environmental concerns. In this study, natural phenol compounds have been used to develop antibiofouling coating materials which operate by a novel mechanism. Cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL), a byproduct of the cashew industry has been used as the source of phenol compounds. The phenol derivatives obtained from CNSL are used as phenol substitutes in many industries because of superior properties like high thermal stability, good mechanical properties and chemical resistance. In order to have high yields and precise structures, enzymatic polymerization was used to prepare polymers from the CNSL phenol derivatives. The use of enzymes also keeps the entire process green and results in an environmentally benign product. The polyphenolic surface coatings prepared from CNSL successfully inhibited biofilm formation of Gram-negative bacteria for a long period of time without any significant loss of activity. The polyphenolic surface coatings have been found to inhibit biofilm formation by interfering with the cell signaling pathways of Gram-negative bacteria. The use of natural phenol compounds are thought to provides a novel approach to control biofouling in prevention of biofilm formation of Gram-negative bacteria. |
