Combinatorial materials research applied to the development of new surface coatings VII: an automated system for adhesion testing.

An automated, high-throughput adhesion workflow that enables pseudobarnacle adhesion and coating/substrate adhesion to be measured on coating patches arranged in an array format on 4x8 in.(2) panels was developed. The adhesion workflow consists of the following process steps: (1) application of an adhesive to the coating array; (2) insertion of panels into a clamping device; (3) insertion of aluminum studs into the clamping device and onto coating surfaces, aligned with the adhesive; (4) curing of the adhesive; and (5) automated removal of the aluminum studs.

Combinatorial materials research applied to the development of new surface coatings IV. A high-throughput bacterial biofilm retention and retraction assay for screening fouling-release performance of coatings.

A high-throughput bacterial biofilm retention screening method has been augmented to facilitate the rapid analysis and down-selection of fouling-release coatings for identification of promising candidates. Coatings were cast in modified 24-well tissue culture plates and inoculated with the marine bacterium Cytophaga lytica for attachment and biofilm growth. Biofilms retained after rinsing with deionised water were dried at ambient laboratory conditions.