Excellent Antifouling Properties Research Articles

Functional and versatile colorful superhydrophobic nanocellulose-based membrane with high durability, high-efficiency oil/water separation and oil spill cleanup

Colorful superhydrophobic coating with high durability and versatility has been receiving tremendous attention in decorative applications. A one-step spraying method for fabricating colorful superhydrophobic nanocellulose-based membrane (CSNBM) with high durability, high-efficiency oil/water separation and oil spill cleanup is established by using octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS), pigment dispersions and n-hexane. The color diversity and depth of the CSNBM are regulated by adjusting the dosage of pigment dispersions. Due to the stoichiometrically regulated reaction of long-chain organosilanes with water, which produces micro to nanoscale hierarchical siloxane aggregates dispersible in industrial solvents, the colorful coating securely clings to the NBM surface to form CSNBM. Even after several severe testing, this CSNBM is proven to be exceedingly resilient, with no substantial decrease in superhydrophobicity (pH soultion test, wear abrasion, blending test and UV irradiation). Furthermore, this CSNBM can be employed to create various colorful paintings. This CSNBM can also be used to separate diverse oil/water combinations with high efficiency. Moreover, this CSNBM had excellent anti-fouling properties in a variety of liquids, including water, orange juice, coffee, tea, milk, and cola. This strategy will pave the way for the huge potential application in technological design or decoration, as well as hasten their commercialization in near future.

Janus membrane prepared via one step depositing coatings onto PVDF/PDMS membrane for simultaneous antiwetting and antifouling in DCMD

A Janus membrane with antiwetting and antifouling properties was prepared for complicated wastewater treatment via direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) technology. The membrane was fabricated by directly depositing gallic acid (GA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) onto one side of the PVDF/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) blend membrane. The results from different characterization methods demonstrate the successful fabrication of the Janus membrane. The obtained Janus membrane performs excellent antiwetting and antifouling properties because of its asymmetric wettability. When the 36 h DCMD test was carried out using the Janus membrane to treat feed solution containing 1000 mg/L crude oil, 0.3 mM SDS and 3.5 wt% NaCl, a relatively stable flux of 15.7 ± 0.2 Kg·m−2·h−1 was maintained, as well as the very small conductivity of 0.3 ± 0.0 μS/cm in the permeate side was kept. In addition, the as-prepared Janus membrane maintained stable when pH ranged from 1.0 to 11.0. Therefore, this Janus membrane can be a strong candidate in DCMD process to treat wastewater containing complicated contaminants.

Removal of Circulating Tumor Cells from Blood Samples of Cancer Patients Using Highly Magnetic Nanoparticles: A Translational Research Project.

The count of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been associated with a worse prognosis in different types of cancer. Perioperatively, CTCs detach due to mechanical forces. Diagnostic tools exist to detect and isolate CTCs, but no therapeutic technique is currently available to remove CTCs in vivo from unprocessed blood. The aim of this study was to design and test new magnetic nanoparticles to purify whole blood from CTCs. Novel magnetic carbon-coated cobalt (C/Co) nanoparticles conjugated with anti-epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) antibodies were synthesized, and their antifouling and separation properties were determined. The newly developed C/Co nanoparticles showed excellent separation and antifouling properties. They efficiently removed tumor cells that were added to healthy subjects’ blood samples, through an anti-EpCAM antibody interaction. The nanoparticles did not interact with other blood components, such as lymphocytes or the coagulation system. In blood samples of carcinoma patients suffering from metastatic disease, on average, ≥68% of CTCs were removed. These nanoparticles could prompt the development of a blood purification technology, such as a dialysis-like device, to perioperatively remove CTCs from the blood of cancer patients in vivo and potentially improve their prognosis.

High-flux PSF/PES-COOH hollow fiber loose nanofiltration membrane for high-efficiency dye-salt separation

Loose nanofiltration membranes show great potential to realize the effective separation of dyes and salts but still show low capacity for treating textile wastewater due to low membrane flux. In this work, a high-flux hollow fiber nanofiltration membrane (HFNFM) for the separation of dyes and salts was fabricated through a simple one-step non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. A carboxylated polyethersulfone (PES-COOH) was synthesized by the polycondensation based on Williamson reaction using diallyl bisphenol sulfur as a commoner followed by the thio-ene reaction with thioglycolic acid. Then PES-COOH was blended with polysulfone (PSF) for hollow fiber spinning based on the NIPS method. The effects of the ratio of PSF to PES-COOH on the membrane structure and performance were studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), water contact angle and zeta potential measurements. Upon optimization, the PSF/PES-COOH HFNFM displayed a water flux of 159.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, and a rejection of 99.2 % for Congo red at a dye concentration of 100 mg/L and operating pressure of 0.1 MPa. With the effective dye-salt fractionation which was comparative to literature reports, the membrane showed unprecedentedly high flux, which can be attributed to the double layer finger-like structure and hydrophilic PES-COOH as additives. The membrane also presented excellent stability and antifouling property during the treatment of simulated textile wastewater.

Properties of Ceramic Coating on Heating Surface of Waste Incineration Boiler Prepared by Slurry Method.

In order to alleviate the problem of high-temperature fly ash corrosion and slag on the heating surface of a high-parameter waste incinerator, a ceramic coating material that can be prepared in situ on the heating surface by the slurry method was studied. The ceramic coating can be formed by sintering at a lower temperature of 750 °C. Its surface and profile are very dense, and the porosity is less than 1%. The mechanical properties test results show that the ceramic coating can withstand 60 cycles of water-cooled thermal shock at 700 °C, and the bonding strength is 25.14 ± 2.21 MPa. It will not fall off in a large area when subjected to pressure load, and it has a certain degree of processable plasticity. High-temperature wettability experiments show that the ceramic coating has lower liquid-bridge force, smaller adhesion area, and shorter fouling cycle for molten corrosive fouling, and potential self-cleaning properties. Its practical mechanical properties make the coating valuable for production applications and meet expectations, and excellent antifouling properties to reduce average fouling thermal resistance and corrosion.

Separation of used automobile oil/water mixture by Nylon 6/ZnO nanoparticles electrospun membrane

The separation of water from oily wastewater by using membranes is a big challenge because of serious membrane fouling and low separation efficiency. So, for the first time, Nylon 6 (N6) membranes blended with ZnO nanoparticles with a N6 support layer by the electrospinning technique were fabricated, where the N6 layer enhanced the mechanical strength and ZnO NPs formed a strong barrier on the N6 membrane to reduce membrane pore-clogging. The micron pore size membranes created by hydrophilic ZnO NPs on electrospun Nylon 6 fiber–matrix structures contributed to the hydrophilicity and fouling resistance of the membranes. The optimal quantities of ZnO NPs and N6 in the electrospun membranes were 2.5 and 40 w.t%, respectively, for achieving the desired specific flux of 215.14 LMH/bar over 3 h when using a 0.1% v/v oil/water influent. Up to 90% of oil, chemical oxygen demand, turbidity, total dissolved solids, and total suspended solids were removed to fulfill discharge requirements. The presence of ZnO NPs in the N6 membrane also exhibited excellent anti-fouling properties with the flux recovery ratio of 52.5 % and water flux of 405.6 LMH/bar, which was much better than those of a pristine N6 membrane, indicating the microfiltration membranes developed in this study were reasonably resistant to fouling to ensure high effluent water quality and the fabricated N6/ZnO NPs membrane is feasible in treating oil-containing wastewater.

Synthesis and Properties of Self-Polishing Antifouling Coatings Based on BIT-Acrylate Resins

Painting antifouling coatings is one of the most important methods to prevent marine biofouling. Acrylic resin is widely used in marine antifouling because of its excellent stickiness, water resistance, and film-forming capabilities. At present, the widely used acrylate antifouling coatings require a high concentration of cuprous oxide as antifoulant. The release and accumulation of copper ions are the main factors affecting the marine environment. In this study, BIT–allyl methacrylate (BM) and zinc acrylate (ZM) were selected as functional monomers copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and butyl acrylate (BA) to prepare a series of BIT acrylate antifouling resins. The inhibitory effects of all resins against marine bacteria (S. aureus, V. coralliilyticus, and V. parahaemolyticus), marine algae (Chlorella, I. galbana, and C. curvisetus), and barnacle larvae were studied. Moreover, marine field tests on the BIT modified resin in coastal waters were conducted. The results demonstrate that the grafted BIT–zinc acrylate resin not only exhibits excellent antifouling properties but also a significant self-polishing performance, providing a novel strategy to design a long-term antifouling resin with stable antifoulant release.

Rational Design of Durable Anti-fouling Coatings with High Transparency, Hardness, and Flexibility.

Highly transparent, durable, flexible and smooth coatings with excellent anti-fouling properties have broad applications on cars, windows, and touch screens. However, the coexistence of these multi-functions is difficult to achieve in a single coating material. Here, a coating is developed with excellent performance of high transparency (98.8%), anti-fouling, high hardness (8H), and flexibility simultaneously (TAHF coating). In the material design, methyl etherified melamine formaldehyde resin, hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer, and mono-aminopropyl terminated polydimethylsiloxane (NH2-PDMS) were used as a polymer matrix to provide surface hardness, a cross-linker was used to provide toughness, and omniphobic groups from NH2-PDMS were used to provide anti-fouling performance. The TAHF coating has excellent liquid repellence even after six months of outdoor exposure, 260 h of UV light exposure, and 1500 wear and 2000 bending cycles, and its chemical shielding performance is superior to that of a commercial anti-corrosive coating. This strategy would provide a new route for the design of multifunctional anti-fouling coatings for practical applications.

Preparation and performance of acrylic acid grafted PES ultrafiltration membrane via plasma surface activation

A modified PES ultrafiltration membrane with excellent separation and antifouling properties was obtained after modification by remote Ar–NH3 plasma-induced acrylic acid (AA) grafting. Hydrophilic properties were characterised using water contact angle measurements. The morphology was analysed using SEM and BET measurements. Changes in the surface functional groups were determined using XPS and ATR-FTIR. The separation and antifouling properties were evaluated through a bovine serum albumin (BSA) separation experiment. The results revealed that the surface structure of the modified membrane was not destroyed, that amino groups were introduced on the surface of the PES membrane, and that AA was successfully grafted. The water contact angle decreased from 67° in the original membrane to 5 ± 0.63° in the modified membrane. The water flux increased from 30 to 93.6 L/(m2·h). The rejection rate of BSA increased from 61.5 to 93.8%, and the flux recovery rate increased from 60.0 to 92.3%.

Tailored nanofiltration membranes with enhanced permeability and antifouling performance towards leachate treatment

The leachate generated from the sanitary landfill or incineration poses serious environmental threats and it's difficultly disposed due to its complexity containing high concentration of organic matters and inorganic salts etc. Membrane technology stands out as a potential solution for leachate because of its beneficial advantages. Nanofiltration (NF) can reject organic compounds and separate divalent ions from mixed salts, which alleviates fouling and increases separation efficiency and flux of reverse osmosis (RO) in the popular combined processes (MBR-NF/RO) applicable for leachates. However, NF is often subject to low water permeance and membrane fouling for traditional polyamide thin film composite (PA-TFC) membranes. This work develops a high-performance NF membrane by grafting bipyridinium derivative monomer (BBD), an alternative antibacterial by interfering with the bacterial metabolism and reproduction and a hydrophilic compound endowing membrane hydrophilicity, onto PA-TFC membranes through the esterification reaction toward the leachate treatment. Resultantly, the BBD-TFC membrane achieves a reasonably high pure water permeability of 31.6 ± 2.1 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, ∼ 4 times higher than that of the pristine polyamide membrane. Notably, the resultant membrane exhibits excellent antifouling and antibacterial properties in the treatment of the leachate benefiting from the more hydrophilic surface and negative potential on BBD-TFC. Meanwhile, high rejection ratio of divalent ions and organic matter (R > 95%) was also attained companying with high separation efficiency of divalent/monovalent ions. The current work may provide an effective strategy to design high performance NF membranes for the leachate treatment or other wastewater treatment.

Polypyrrole-coated nanocellulose for solar steam generation: A multi-surface photothermal ink with antibacterial and antifouling properties

Solar energy-based steam generation holds immense potential to tackle the problem of 1.1 billion people lacking access to freshwater and 2.7 billion experiencing freshwater scarcity at least one month a year. Efficient, portable, and universal photothermal materials are required for popularity of solar-driven evaporation systems. Herein, a facile one-pot process based on solution-processed vapor phase polymerization is adopted to fabricate polypyrrole-coated cellulose nanocrystals (CNC-PPy). The CNC-PPy dispersed in water is used as an ink (CNC-PPy ink) to create photothermal layers. The developed ink is readily laminated on diverse substrates utilizing a common paintbrush that firmly attached without any delamination after drying. The optimized cellulose membrane (6 coating cycles) presents an excellent evaporation rate of 1.96 Kg m−2 h−1 with corresponding light-to-vapor efficiency of 88.92 % at 1 sun. In addition, the CNC-PPy display excellent antibacterial and antifouling properties in powder and laminated forms against E. coli and S. aureus.

In-situ formation of epoxy derived polyethylene glycol crosslinking network on polyamide nanofiltration membrane with enhanced antifouling performance

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane fouling is still an inevitable main challenge, which leads to the reduction of membrane performance. The large number of aliphatic chains in the poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) skeleton will reduce the increase in hydrophilicity. Therefore, the existing PVA grafting technology has certain limitations in the application of anti-fouling modification. A facile and effective strategy for enhancing membrane surface hydrophilicity and antifouling performance becomes very important. In this study, epoxy derived polyethylene glycol crosslinking network was in situ introduced on polyamide nanofiltration membrane through ring-opening reaction of poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) to enhance membrane hydrophilicity and antifouling performance. The large amount of ether units in PEGDGE endowed this crosslinked network with hydrophilicity and relative loose structure. Results of FTIR, XPS and WCA indicated that PEGDGE-polyether crosslinking network was successfully formed on the surface of the NF membrane. Water contact angle of the modified membrane was decreased to 23.7 ± 1.2° compared with pristine NF membrane (45.7 ± 2.1°). For the performance test, humic acid (HA) was used to evaluate the fouling resistance of membranes. FRR (Flux Recovery Ratio) value was as high as 91% (e.g., NF–10 S membrane) compared with the pristine membrane (71%). Meanwhile, NF–10 S membrane showed lower FDR (Flux Decline Ratio) (41%) than the pristine NF membrane (68%). Both the low FDR and high FRR of NF–10 S membranes indicated an excellent long-term anti-fouling property. The coating can provide a large number of ether bonds to improve hydrophilic properties, and the proposed strategy in the current study can offer a facile and effective method for membrane antifouling modifications.

Fouling alleviation and enhanced salt rejection in NF membranes via incorporation of 5-amino-1-phenyl-3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4‑carbonitrile functionalized pectin in PES matrix

In the current study, the facile method of 5-amino-1-phenyl-3-(thiophen-2-yl)-1H-pyrazole-4‑carbonitrile (pyrazole compound) functionalization was introduced to synthesize the new kind of pectin-based material with high functionality and hydrophilicity. The obtained pyrazole compound/pectin (PCPT) hybrid was characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR, and EDX. Consequently, it was incorporated into the polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration (NF) membrane at different loadings. The pectin (PT) composite membranes (PT-0.3 and PT-0.5) were also prepared to further prove the influence of the used PT functionalization method on membrane performance. The surface properties and filtration performance of the composite membranes were studied. All composite membranes showed higher pure water flux compared to the bare membrane (PT-0) and in the best case, the pure water flux value of 43.22 L/m2h was obtained for the 0.3 wt% PCPT composite membrane (PCPT-0.3). PCPT-0.3 showed the highest mean pore size, porosity, surface hydrophilicity, smoothness, and negative charge among all prepared composite membranes. After incorporation of PCPT hybrid, the salt rejection was considerably enhanced with the sequence of Na2SO4 > NaCl, verifying the typical NF behavior of the membranes. For PCPT-0.3, the rejection of direct red 16 (DR16) and crystal violet (CV) was 99.82 and 98.24%, and the corresponding permeate flux was 40.2 and 40.1 L/m2h, respectively. Pb2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ rejections were measured 31.00, 32.00, and 32.50% for PT-0, whereas they were 98.09, 98.32, and 98.63% PCPT-0.3, respectively. Moreover, PCPT-0.3 exhibited excellent antifouling properties, nominating the PCPT hybrid as a privileged membrane modifier for the treatment of water/wastewater.

Fabrication of hollow-fiber nanofiltration membrane with negative-positive dual-charged separation layer to remove low concentration CuSO4

To apply membrane separation technology to the treatment of low-concentration heavy metal ion wastewater, it is essential to fabricate a nanofiltration (NF) membrane with high flux and excellent rejection. In this work, organics (polyethyleneimine, gallic acid, trimesic acid, and polyacrylic acid) with different charges were successively introduced onto the outer surface of hollow-fiber NF membranes via chemical modification. That regulated the membrane surface charge under the premise of maintaining a loose separation layer. A negative-positive dual-charged membrane with a large mean effective pore size and long charged channels was successfully constructed. The evolution regularity of the microstructure of the separation layer was explored. The relation between a microstructure for a negative-positive dual-charged layer and low-concentration CuSO4 removal was interpreted. An effective removal (94.2%) was achieved while maintaining a high permeability (29.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1). Also, the as-prepared membrane showed good acid resistance and an excellent anti-fouling property and regeneration ability after cleaning by sulfuric acid. The flux recovery ratio and rejection recovery ratio were as high as 96.9% and 99.2% respectively. This work provides a reference for fabricating high performance hollow-fiber NF membranes to effectively remove heavy metal ions with low-concentration.

Anti-fouling nanofiltration membranes based on macromolecule crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol

Nanofiltration membranes with excellent anti-fouling properties were fabricated through a green surface crosslink method. Poly (styrene-maleic anhydride) (SMA) blended polyethersulfone (PES) membrane was used as a support. The SMA in the PES support served as a macromolecular crosslinker. After coating of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the surface of the SMA-PES support, a PVA selective layer with gradient cross-linked structure was formed, through the esterification between the anhydride groups in SMA and the hydroxyl groups in PVA. This process adopts a full-water fabrication strategy without secondary pollution. The gradiently cross-linked PVA/SMA-PES membrane, with molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) about 600 Da and permeance around 10-12 L/(m2·h·bar), exhibited good dye/salts separation performance. In the filtration of a mixed solution of Congo Red (CR) and calcium chloride (CaCl2), the membrane rejected 98% CR and only had 10% rejection of CaCl2. In addition, this membrane processed an excellent anti-fouling property. In the BSA fouling test, the pure water flux recovery ratio (FRR) was 99%. It is expected that the PVA/SMA-PES membrane can be used in organic desalination.

Fabrication of superhydrophobic/oleophilic starch cryogel via a simple sol-gel immersion process for removing oil from water

Superhydrophobic/oleophilic adsorbents have attracted considerable attention for removing oil spill that poses a serious threat to the aquatic ecosystem. Porous starch–based materials have been proved to have good oil absorption performance, but superhydrophobicity of these materials has not yet been realized. Herein, a superhydrophobic starch-based adsorbent (HTSC) was fabricated through a simple sol–gel immersion process of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane and tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of starch cryogel. The adsorbent was simultaneously provided with low surface energy and hierarchical micro/nanostructures via hydrolysis–condensation reaction. HTSC exhibited high water contact angle (>153.0°) and low sliding angle (<8.0°) as well as excellent self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties. The structural support and stable chemical bonding endowed the material with good mechanical and chemical durability. HTSC also possessed reasonable oil adsorption performance (2.6–7.5 g/g), which was dominated by its porosity and followed pseudo-second-order model. Its selective wettability towards oil and water allowed it to be applied for oil removal under water and from the water surface. This novel superhydrophobic starch–based adsorbent shows promising application in oil spill cleanup.

High-Strength, Conductive, Antifouling, and Antibacterial Hydrogels for Wearable Strain Sensors.

Conductive hydrogels have shown great potential in the field of flexible strain sensors. However, their application is greatly limited due to the poor antifouling and low mechanical strength. Unfortunately, it is still a challenge to improve these two distinct properties simultaneously. Herein, a hydrogel with high strength, good conductivity, and excellent antifouling and antibacterial properties was prepared through the synergistic effect of physical and chemical cross-linking. First, acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) monomers were polymerized in the presence of chitosan chains to form the hydrogel. Then, the prepared hydrogel was immersed in a ferric ion solution to further strengthen the hydrogel through ion coordination. The obtained CS-P(AM-MPC-AA0.2)-Fe0.13+ hydrogel showed outstanding tensile strength (1.03 MPa), excellent stretchability (1075%), good toughness (7.03 MJ/m3), and fatigue resistance. The CS-P(AM-MPC-AA0.2)-Fe0.13+ hydrogel also demonstrated good ion conductivity (0.42 S/m) and excellent antifouling and antibacterial properties. In addition, the strain sensor constructed by the CS-P(AM-MPC-AA0.2)-Fe0.13+ hydrogel showed high sensitivity and good stability. This work presented a facile method to construct a zwitterionic hydrogel with high-strength, conductive, antifouling, and antibacterial properties, which suggested a promising gel platform for flexible wearable sensors.

Approximately 1 nm-sized artificial tunnels in wrinkled graphene-graphene oxide composite membranes for efficient dye/dye separation and dye desalination

Efficient separation of solutes by nanofiltration membranes (NMs) is the key to the utilization of wastewater and sustainable economic development. However, the establishment of dense and narrow-dispersed artificial tunnels in NMs remains a challenge, leading to impractical water permeability and solutes selectivity for real-world applications. In this work, we construct approximately 1 nm-sized artificial tunnels within the GO-based membranes (GOMs) to balance the water permeation and nanofiltration performances, by intercalating the three-dimensional wrinkled graphene (WG) sheets with surface functional groups manipulated. Such peculiar nanotunneled structure in the WG/GO composite membrane, at the optimized WG/GO ratio of 1:2, is revealed by the selective filtration of large-sized PEG gel particles over sub-nm-sized counterparts, leading to a selective rejection of >1 nm-sized molecules (e.g. CV, CR, and TB) over sub-nm-sized impurities (e.g. NR, MB, NaCl, and Na2SO4) with excellent mechanical stability and anti-fouling property. More importantly, the dense nanotunneled structure enables the composite membrane with an increased water flux of 65.68 L m-2h−1 bar−1, which is ∼48 times enhanced compared to that of pure GOM. Our strategy enables the precise engineering of artificial nanotunnels within compact GOM for high-performance dye/dye separation and dye desalination applications.

A robust, room-temperature curable and molecular-level superhydrophobic coating with excellent antibacterial and antifouling properties

This work proposed a novel molecular-level superhydrophobic coating. The superhydrophobicity was achieved by using polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) as the low-energy substance and nanoparticles of metal organic framework (MOF) as the roughness-improving components. The nanoparticles were synthesized by using 2-aminoterephthalic acid as the ligand to obtain molecular level amination, and PDMS was molecular-level aminopropyl terminated prior to the coating preparation. These made the coating molecular-level superhydrophobic. Epoxy resin and triclosan were further used to improve the mechanical strength and to ensure the bactericidal property, respectively. These four components (NH2-PDMS, NH2-MOF, epoxy resin, triclosan) were cured in one-step at room temperature by using a “jointly shared” hexamethylene isocyanate (HDI) as the crosslinker via chemical interaction between isocyanate group in HDI and amino groups in NH2– PDMS and in NH2-MOF and hydroxyl groups in epoxy resin and in triclosan. The chemical immobilization of triclosan in the coatings avoids its leaching and is friendly to the environment. The as-prepared superhydrophobic coatings are room temperature curable, fluorine-free and have excellent wear-resistant, antibacterial and antifouling performance. The coating can be prepared by simply brushing and spraying, and has a potential for large-scale industrial application.

Preparation of a Novel Type of Zwitterionic Polymer and the Antifouling PDMS Coating.

As awareness of environmental protection increases, environmentally friendly coatings have been receiving great interest. Zwitterionic polymers are considered promising candidates due to their biocompatibility and excellent antifouling properties. In this paper, a type of polypeptoid containing zwitterions on the side chain was synthesized via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) and post-modification. This obtained polypeptoid was subsequently grafted onto the surface of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) via plasma and UV-induced surface polymerization. Surface morphology and protein adsorption tests of the resulting coating were systematically carried out. The results show that the modified coating has excellent antifouling properties and thus has great potential for environmentally friendly coating applications.