Investigation of the role of hydrophilic chain length in amphiphilic perfluoropolyether/poly(ethylene glycol) networks: towards high-performance antifouling coatings

Abstract

The facile preparation of amphiphilic network coatings having a hydrophobic dimethacryloxy-functionalized perfluoropolyether (PFPE-DMA; M(w) = 1500 g mol(-1)) crosslinked with hydrophilic monomethacryloxy functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) macromonomers (PEG-MA; M(w) = 300, 475, 1100 g mol(-1)), intended as non-toxic high-performance marine coatings exhibiting antifouling characteristics is demonstrated. The PFPE-DMA was found to be miscible with the PEG-MA. Photo-cured blends of these materials containing 10 wt% of PEG-MA oligomers did not swell significantly in water. PFPE-DMA crosslinked with the highest molecular weight PEG oligomer (ie PEG1100) deterred settlement (attachment) of algal cells and cypris larvae of barnacles compared to a PFPE control coating. Dynamic mechanical analysis of these networks revealed a flexible material. Preferential segregation of the PEG segments at the polymer/air interface resulted in enhanced antifouling performance. The cured amphiphilic PFPE/PEG films showed decreased advancing and receding contact angles with increasing PEG chain length. In particular, the PFPE/PEG1100 network had a much lower advancing contact angle than static contact angle, suggesting that the PEG1100 segments diffuse to the polymer/water interface quickly. The preferential interfacial aggregation of the larger PEG segments enables the coating surface to have a substantially enhanced resistance to settlement of spores of the green seaweed Ulva, cells of the diatom Navicula and cypris larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphitrite as well as low adhesion of sporelings (young plants) of Ulva, adhesion being lower than to a polydimethyl elastomer, Silastic T2.

Resistance to protein sorption as a model of antifouling performance of Poly(siloxane-urethane) coatings exhibiting phase separated morphologies

“…It may be speculated that on nanostructured samples BSA was adsorbed in a different conformation that did not retain water as much as it did in the non-nanostructured one. This result would be in line with literature data, which indicate that the disruption of protein adsorption requires compositional heterogeneity to create a mismatch between the nanodomains and the anchoring sites of the protein [13,18,21].…”

“…All the samples showed hysteresis values lower than 5 • (the data for all compositions can be found in the supplementary material). In literature, higher hysteresis values were obtained for similar urethane/siloxane copolymers [19] and for ether/Fluorated copolymers [13,15]. The high hysteresis values obtained in these works were attributed to surface chemical heterogeneity.…”

“…The latter materials have many features in common with silicones and some papers are very relevant concerning protein-surface interaction mechanism. A segregated surface is suggested to resist biofilm formation by presenting an "ambiguous" surface to the protein [13][14][15].…”

Adsorption of alginate and albumin on aluminum coatings inhibits adhesion of Escherichia coli and enhances the anti-corrosion performances of the coatings

“…Biofilm formed as a result of biofouling promotes/inhibits corrosion of metals by a number of mechanisms, such as cathodic and anodic depolarization [6], hydrogen production [7], production of corrosive metabolites such as organic acids and exopolymers [8]. Biofouling in marine is a complex phenomenon involving more than 4000 species of marine organisms [9,10], causing serious problems such as accelerated corrosion, transport of non-native invasive species and decreased fuel efficiency [10][11][12]. Therefore, extensive research efforts have been devoted to clarifying the mechanisms of biofouling with an aim to prevent marine organisms from attaching onto the surfaces of the marine structures [13,14].…”

A New Approach for Mitigating Biofouling by Promoting Online Cleaning Using a Sacrificial Paraffin Coating

“…Surface coatings can inhibit biofouling in general [7], reduce bacterial activity [8], alter adhesion (i.e., modify the contact angle) [9,10], or modify other properties of the surface that affect microorganism attachment and surface colonization, and biofilm growth and detachment [11][12][13]. These coatings can reduce the rate and/or extent of fouling and extend the operating period between cleaning actions.…”