Biofouling is considered to be the limiting factor of the majority of membrane processes. Since microbial adhesion is a prerequisite for membrane biofouling, prevention of microbial adhesion and colonization on the membrane surfaces will have a major impact in preventing biofouling. In this paper the effects of surface free energies on bacterial adhesion were investigated and the optimum surface free energy of membranes on which bacterial adhesion force is minimal was obtained. A graded nickel-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite coating technique was used to tailor the surface free energy of membrane diffusers to the optimum value. Initial experimental results showed that these coatings reduced microbial adhesion by 68-94%. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.