Multiarm Brush Copolymer Blended with Polyvinyl Chloride: Investigating the Relationship between Molecular Structure and Antibiofouling Properties

Enhancing the antibiofouling performance of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is essential to improve its reliability and long-term service capability in versatile biomedical scenarios. Polymer blending has been recognized as a facile and efficient modification strategy to endow PVC with desirable antibiofouling properties. Nevertheless, most current studies concentrate merely on single-functional polymer modifiers while neglecting the synergistic effects originating from precisely regulated polymer topological structures. In this study, a series of amphiphilic n PCL- b - n PEGMA copolymers with identical chemical compositions but differentiated topological architectures were successfully synthesized. The hydrophobic polycaprolactone (PCL) blocks offer superior compatibility with the PVC matrix, whereas the hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol methacrylate) (PEGMA) segments substantially strengthen the surface antibiofouling performance of composite films. Modified PVC blended films were fabricated, and their mechanical robustness, thermal stability, hydrophilicity and antibiofouling behaviors were systematically evaluated. The resultant composite films retain favorable mechanical and thermal properties, and increasing the block numbers of PCL and PEGMA effectively improves surface hydrophilicity and antibiofouling capacity. Notably, the PVC/4PCL- b -4PEGMA composite exhibits the optimal comprehensive performance, achieving 92.4% reduction in bovine serum albumin adsorption, 93% reduction in platelet adhesion, and nearly complete bacterial inhibition. Furthermore, the film maintains durable antibiofouling stability under stretching, friction and long-term immersion environments. This work provides a feasible and promising approach for the rational design of high-performance antibiofouling PVC materials toward practical biomedical applications.