Study on the preparation and properties of new environmentally friendly antifouling acrylic metal salt resins containing indole derivative group

•Acrylic metal salt resins containing an indole derivative were prepared and characterized.•The addition of the indole derivative not only maintained the self-polishing properties of the resin but also increased the antibacterial properties.•The synthetic resins showed excellent antibacterial properties, algae inhibition properties, anti-protein adsorption and antifouling properties.