Polydopamine-Mediated, Amphiphilic Poly(Carboxybetaine Methacrylamide-r-Trifluoroethyl Methacrylate) Coating with Resistance to Marine Diatom Adhesion and Silt Adsorption

Marine biofouling-the adhesion of marine organisms onto a ship hull-causes increased fuel consumption, leading to massive carbon dioxide emissions. Many attempts are made to address this issue, and antifouling polymer coatings are extensively investigated owing to their environmental friendliness. Zwitterionic polymers, polysaccharides, and polyethylene glycol are frequently used as surface coatings, demonstrating excellent marine antifouling performance. However, these hydrophilic polymer coatings have a major drawback: when exposed to sediment, various minerals are easily adsorbed by the coatings, causing them to lose their inherent antifouling properties. Amphiphilic polymer coatings have therefore been proposed as alternatives to hydrophilic polymer coatings. In this study, the synthesis of amphiphilic copolymers composed of carboxybetaine methacrylamide and trifluoroethyl methacrylate and the immobilization of these copolymers onto solid surfaces are reported. This method utilizes material-independent surface-coating properties and the metal complex-forming ability of polydopamine to immobilize amphiphilic copolymers onto solid surfaces. The resulting surfaces exhibit good antifouling performance against both diatom adhesion and silt adsorption. As this is a facile and substrate-independent method for immobilizing polymers, an expectation exists for it to be an effective platform for the coating of new marine antifouling polymers.