Preparation of an Eco-Friendly Amphiphilic Polymer and its Antifouling Coating for Combating Marine Biofouling

Marine biofouling poses a significant challenge to marine facilities, increasing ship weight and fuel consumption. Developing efficient and environmentally friendly non-toxic antifouling materials is a current research hotspot to replace traditional toxic coatings. A polyethylene glycol-dimethyldiohexosilane-polymethyl trifluoropropyl siloxane (PEG-DMDES-PMTFPS) polymer was first prepared using a hydrolysis-condensation method. Subsequently, an antifouling coating (PDP) was prepared by physically blending the resulting polymer with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The chemical structure, surface and cross-sectional morphology, mechanical properties, and antifouling performance were comprehensively characterized. The results indicated that PDP was uniformly distributed within the coating, significantly enhancing hydrophobicity with a maximum water contact angle of 105.25°. The coating exhibited optimal antifouling performance at a PDP content of 20 wt%, where the bacterial attachment rate dropped to 1.23%, and the chlorophyll-a content of diatoms was as low as 0.005 mg/L. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the synergistic effect of the hydration layer formed by PEG segments and the low surface energy of fluorinated segments effectively prevented initial microbial adhesion.