Why do ventilators promote biofouling?

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Medical ventilators create a warm, humid, nutrient-rich environment ideal for microbial growth. Despite sterilization efforts, several structural and biological factors facilitate microbial fouling:

• Smooth pipe surfaces enable fast bacterial adhesion when in contact with fluids
• Surface wear over time reduces anti-adhesion properties
• Bacteria adapt and produce biofilms that reinforce their attachment
• Nutrients, heat, and stagnant zones create ideal conditions for colonization

AI-driven analysis helped identify the root causes of these issues.

Nature-inspired mechanisms to tackle biofouling challenges

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The biomimetic strategies explored for this project draw on natural adaptations that limit microbial adhesion. Examples include:

• Topographic structures: lotus leaves, shark denticle, dragonfly wings, crab shell, duck feathers
• Chemical antifouling coatings: Chlorella, Ircinia oros, mussels proteins
• Hydrophobic coating: Duck feathers, bark
• Self-assembly of a protective layer: Biomineralisation

Together, these approaches inspire robust and durable anti-fouling surfaces for industrial and medical use.

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Asteria then helps you generate ideas of concrete bioinspired concepts leveraging both the various selected biological mechanisms and the modeling of the project's context.