CuO2 and tannic acid mediated synergistic antimicrobial and antifouling coatings

Marine biofouling is an important problem that disturbs the development of marine economy. Antifouling coating is an effective way to solve the problem. Here, we used free radical polymerization and condensation reaction to prepare a degradable zwitterionic polyurethane ( TA/CuO 2 -PU) n coating with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) as the segments of the main chain and zwitterionic poly (sulfobetaine methacrylate) (PSBMA) as the side chains cross-linked with tannic acid (TA), a natural antibacterial agent, which could release a novel TA/CuO 2 nanoparticle antifouling agents. The TA/CuO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized and modified with tannic acid. The ultra-miniaturized nanostructures and the ability to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) also endow the TA/CuO 2 nanoparticles with higher antimicrobial activity, which improve the utilization efficiency to reduce copper toxicity. In addition, the ( TA/CuO 2 -PU) n coating that was hydrophilic modified with zwitterionic PSBMA could block microbial adhesion. And slow biodegradation of the PU with PCL segment coating allowed stable release of the TA/CuO 2 nanoparticles and self-renewable surface. The degradation rate and antiadhesion properties of the ( TA/CuO 2 -PU) n coatings were increased with PSBMA content and the antifouling ability of the (TA/CuO 2 -PU) n coatings was increased with additive amount of TA/CuO 2 nanoparticles and degradation progress. These series of tests prove that we have successfully developed a self-renewable anti-fouling coating with both passive anti-adhesion and active release of biocides and this synergistic system may provide new ideas for the design and preparation of novel anti-fouling coatings.