Abstract
Superhydrophilic coatings have been widely used for the surface modification of membranes or biomedical devices owing to their excellent antifouling properties. However, simplifying the modification processes of such materials remains challenging. In this study, we developed a simple and rapid one-step co-deposition process using an oxidant trigger to fabricate superhydrophilic surfaces based on dopamine chemistry with sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA). We studied the effect of different oxidants and SBMA concentrations on surface modification in detail using UV–VIS spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and surface plasmon resonance. We found that NaIO4 could trigger the rate of polymerization and the optimum ratio of dopamine to SBMA is 1:25 by weight. This makes the surface superhydrophilic (water contact angle < 10°) and antifouling. The superhydrophilic coating, when introduced to polyester membranes, showed great potential for oil/water separation. Our study provides a complete description of the simple and fast preparation of superhydrophilic coatings for surface modification based on mussel-inspired chemistry.
Highlights
The surface modification of polymeric materials is the primary step for improving their surface properties to extend their utility [1,2,3,4]
Spectrophotometry and dynamic light scattering (DLS), we found that only the NaIO4-triggered PDA solution exhibited the formation of dopaminochrome and the bigger particle sizes of PDA at 2 h of polymerization compared to the UV-triggered solution and without a triggered solution
Confirms that the PDA/sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) was successfully bound to the surface and revealed that when the ratio of dopamine to SBMA was 1:25 by weight, one could obtain the most sulfobetaine moieties on the surface, rendering the surface superhydrophilic (WCA < 10°) and antifouling of E. coli
Summary
The surface modification of polymeric materials is the primary step for improving their surface properties to extend their utility [1,2,3,4]. The modification of the surface property of polymeric materials into superhydrophobic or superhydrophilic and maintaining their bulk properties is an important field of investigation. A superhydrophilic surface generally exhibits a water contact angle lower than 10◦ [5,6,7]. On such a surface, water droplets spread rapidly and flow down the surface at a considerable velocity [5]. Superhydrophilic surfaces have significant potential for practical applications in wastewater treatment, separation of oily
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