RT journal article T1 Studying the influence of surface properties on the cell attachment and anti-fouling capacity of Ag/SiO2 superhydrophobic coatings for building materials A1 Zarzuela Sánchez, Rafael A1 Domínguez, Marcia A1 Carbú Espinosa de los Monteros, María A1 Moreno-Garrido, Ignacio A1 Díaz Sánchez, Ana Belén A1 Cantoral Fernández, Jesús Manuel A1 Gil Montero, María Luisa Almoraima A1 Mosquera Díaz, María Jesús A2 BiomedicinaBiotecnología y Salud Pública A2 Ingeniería Química y Tecnología de Alimentos A2 Química Física K1 Anti-microbial K1 Bacterial adhesion K1 Biocide K1 Building materials K1 Functional surface K1 Super hydrophobic AB Anti-fouling coatings are a common solution for the protection of porous building materials from the effects of microbial colonization over their functionality and durability. Usually, this is achieved through the incorporation of biocides or the passive control by reducing bioreceptivity. Superhydrophobic surfaces are considered a promising strategy due to their reported capacity for reducing cell adhesion, but their affinity to non-polar substances may decrease their effectiveness under the right circumstances (e.g. organic contamination, cell walls with hydrophobic domains). The combination of these surfaces with active biocides may compensate these drawbacks, however, a close contact with the microorganisms is necessary to promote their effect. This work studies the factors that determine the anti-fouling capacity of a coating, tested on porous building materials, that combines superhydrophobic surface with a nanostructured Ag/SiO2 biocide agent. Special attention is paid to understanding to which extent the cell-surface interactions modulate the initial cell attachment to the surface and the biocidal effect. To this end, the electrostatic forces and surface energy balance were considered using different reference bacteria and a yeast. The results indicate that the hydrophobic character of the surface favors the cell attachment and the biocide agent may be unable to fully compensate this effect for all microorganisms. In addition, changes in micro and nano roughness seem to play an equally significant role. Overall, this study aims to provide a theoretical and experimental insight to assist in the future design of anti-fouling coatings tailored to the organisms responsible of fouling processes. PB Elsevier SN 0360-1323 YR 2023 FD 2023 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32506 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/32506 LA eng DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz RD 10-nov-2026