am9b05893_si_001.pdf (3.02 MB)
Nonfreezable Water and Polymer Swelling Control the Marine Antifouling Performance of Polymers with Limited Hydrophilic Content
journal contribution
posted on 2019-08-09, 20:29 authored by Jan H. Kardela, Ian S. Millichamp, James Ferguson, Alison L. Parry, Kevin J. Reynolds, Nick Aldred, Anthony S. ClareZwitterionic chemical
groups have well-documented resistance to
marine fouling species when presented as homogeneous polymer brushes.
These model formulations are not, however, suitable for practical
fouling-control applications. It is presently unknown if a uniform
film of zwitterions is required to elicit nonfouling character via
the binding of interfacial water or if the incorporation of zwitterionic
functionality into a more practical bulk polymer system will suffice.
Here, copolymers of n-butyl methacrylate were synthesized
with low incorporation levels (up to 20 mol %) of hydrophilic functionality,
including zwitterionic moieties. Their antifouling (AF) properties
were evaluated using barnacle cyprids (Balanus improvisus), diatom cells (Navicula incerta),
and a multispecies biofilm. The laboratory assays revealed higher
resistance of ionic copolymers toward cyprid settlement, which was
attributed to their swelling and the presence of nonfreezable water
molecules bound tightly to the polymer chains. Additionally, cells
of N. incerta and the multispecies
biofilm were removed more effectively on polymers containing sulfobetaine
methacrylate and sulfopropyl methacrylate moieties. The results indicate
that the presence of tightly bound interfacial water is not limited
to model systems of pure hydrophilic homopolymers, but that this mechanism
can also reduce the settlement and adhesion of fouling species via
bulk copolymer systems with limited hydrophilic content. The swelling
of polymers with hydrophilic content may also contribute to their
AF efficacy, and such materials may therefore represent a route to
translation of the well-documented nonfouling character of zwitterions
into practical, industrially relevant coating formulations.
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resistancesettlementzwitterionicPolymercopolymerscontentpresencemultispecies biofilmincertazwitterionincorporationmarine fouling speciesZwitterionic chemical groupssulfopropyl methacrylate moietiesformulationnonfouling characternonfreezable water moleculesbulk polymer systemfunctionalityAFMarine Antifouling Performancecypridbulk copolymer systemsmodel
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