Biodegradable poly(ester)-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer for marine anti-biofouling

Being biodegradable and eco-friendly, polyesters are promising in marine anti-biofouling. However, the slow degradation and poor adhesion limit their applications. In the present work, we have prepared poly(ester)-poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymer via radical ring-opening copolymerization of 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). The copolymer coating has good adhesion to substrate due to the incorporation of MMA moieties. The main-chain ester bonds from MDO enable the copolymer to enzymatically and hydrolytically degrade, and the degradation rate increases with the ester content. The polymers can serve as a carrier and controlled release matrix for organic antifoulant 4,5-dichloro-2-octylisothiazolone (DCOIT), and the release rate increases with the ester content. Marine field test shows the system of the copolymer and DCOIT has excellent antifouling performance for more than 3 months.