Self-Cross-Linking Degradable Polymers for Antifouling Coatings

Degradable polymers with protein resistance can find applications in antibiofouling. We have prepared copolymer of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO), 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DEM) and 3-(methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (KH570) via radical ring-opening polymerization, where MDO, DEM, and KH570 make the polymer degradable, protein resistant and self-cross-linkable, respectively. Our studies demonstrate that the self-cross-linking significantly improves the coating ability of the polymer with controlled biodegradation in seawater. We have investigated the adsorption of fibrinogen, bovine serum albumin and lysozyme on the self-cross-linking polymer surface as a function of its composition by use of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). It shows the polymer network can resist the adsorption of proteins in seawater. The antibacterial adhesion of the polymer network was evaluated by using Micrococcus luteus (M. luteus) and Pseudomonas sp., revealing that the polymer network can effectively inhibit the settlement of marine bacteria.