Microstructure and Properties of Poly(ethylene glycol)-Segmented Polyurethane Antifouling Coatings after Immersion in Seawater.

Kejiao Li,Yingju Zhou,Xiaoyu Sun,Zhanping Zhang,Yuhong Qi

doi:10.3390/polym13040573

Abstract

Polyurethane has a microphase separation structure, while polyethylene glycol (PEG) can form a hydrated layer to resist protein adsorption. In this paper, PEG was introduced to polyurethane to improve the antifouling properties of the polyurethane, providing a new method and idea for the preparation of new antifouling polyurethane materials. The mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, swelling degree, microphase separation and antifouling performance of the coatings were evaluated. The response characteristics of the polyurethane coatings in a seawater environment were studied, and the performance changes of coatings in seawater were tested. The results showed that the crystallized PEG soft segments increased, promoting microphase separation. The stress at 100% and the elasticity modulus of the polyurethane material also markedly increased, in addition to increases in the swelling degree in seawater, the water contact angle decreased. A total of 25% of PEG incorporated into a soft segment can markedly improve the antibacterial properties of the coatings, but adding more PEG has little significant effect. After immersion in seawater, the coatings became softer and more elastic. This is because water molecules formed hydrogen bonding with the amino NH, which resulted in a weakening effect being exerted on the carbonyl C=O hydrogen bonding and ether oxygen group crystallization.

Highlights

Accepted: 10 February 2021The ocean is a complex ecological environment
The volume and mass of the polyethylene glycol (PEG)-PU films increased with PEG content and immersion time, after being immersed in seawater
Mixed in a certain proportion acted as the soft segment, which can ensure the basic performance and has good antifouling performance

Summary

Introduction

Accepted: 10 February 2021The ocean is a complex ecological environment. The attachment of marine fouling organisms can cause significant economic losses for ships and underwater facilities [1].With the increase in human activity and the development of the marine industry economy, the problem of biological attachment has become a worldwide topic.There are several key stages in the attachment of fouling organisms (Figure 1). The ocean is a complex ecological environment. The attachment of marine fouling organisms can cause significant economic losses for ships and underwater facilities [1]. With the increase in human activity and the development of the marine industry economy, the problem of biological attachment has become a worldwide topic. There are several key stages in the attachment of fouling organisms (Figure 1). When hydrophilic materials enter the seawater to form a wet surface, small organic molecules such as protein, polysaccharides, glycoproteins and some inorganic compounds are absorbed via van der Waal’s forces, hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions resulting in the formation of a conditioning layer [2]. Pioneering microorganisms adhere to the conditioning layer through non-covalent bond forces, forming a biofilm

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Results

Conclusion