Excellent synergistic antifouling polymers based on controlled release of cinnamic acid and hydrolysis-induced fluorinated micro/nanostructure

A new type of acrylate zinc fluorinated polymer (AZFP) is designed and successfully prepared through grafting basic zinc 4-hydroxycinnamate onto the side chain of acrylate fluorinated polymers via dehydration reaction. The Zn(II) (COO–Zn–COO) in the polymer can hydrolyze in seawater so as to slowly release green antibacterial p -coumaric acid ( p -CA) and simultaneously expose hydrophobic fluorinated side chains to form a fluorinated micro/nanostructure surface with excellent antifouling properties. In addition, lab results reveal that fouling organisms such as E. coli , bovine serum albumin (BSA), and chlorella are hard to adhere to and colonize on the polymer surface. Significantly, marine field tests demonstrate that the polymer has an excellent static anti-biofouling performance for over 240 days without resorting to adding any biocidal or toxic agents. This work provides a novel synergistic strategy for coordinating multiple green antifouling mechanisms to work together effectively, which would aid the development of environmentally friendly antifouling polymers.