Efficacy and mechanism of GO/IBTS coating against microbial fouling of concrete surfaces in marine tidal areas

In this paper, GO/IBTS composite emulsion was prepared by sol–gel method with graphene oxide (GO) and isobutyltriethoxysilane (IBTS) as raw materials. GO/IBTS composite coating was constructed on the surface of concrete blocks, which were then placed in a marine tidal area for biological fouling experiment. The results show that the GO/IBTS composite emulsion can ensure long-term hydrophobicity of the concrete surface, preventing the adhesion of marine microorganisms and effectively inhibiting the formation of microbial biofilms. High-throughput DNA sequencing results show that the GO/IBTS composite coating can reduce the species richness and community diversity of microorganisms on the concrete surface, especially the abundance of Desulfobacterota and Firmicutes species, which can corrode concrete. The degree of microbial contamination was significantly reduced, and the bacterial community structure was improved by the coating. Microscopy results show that the GO/IBTS composite coating reduces the degree of carbonization of concrete, improves the microstructure of the concrete surface, and reduces the degree of microbial contamination on concrete.