Durable self-polishing antifouling coating based on fluorine-containing pyrrolidone amphiphilic copolymer-functionalized nanosilica

Marine biofouling is detrimental to ships and has been a significant issue in the marine industry for several decades. The development of effective, long-term, and environment-friendly antifouling coating is important but remains a challenge in oceanographic engineering. A series of novel amphiphilic block copolymers (PVP-co-PTFEMA), containing hydrophilic segments (N-vinylpyrrolidone, or NVP) and hydrophobic segments (trifluoromethyl methacrylate, or TFEMA), are grafted on the nanosilica surface via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The as-prepared amphiphilic copolymers-functionalized silica, SiO₂-g-(PVP-co-PTFEMA), can be blended well with self-polishing resin, which could obtain a new type of self-polishing nanocomposite coating. The SiO₂-g-(PVP-co-PTFEMA) based composite coating exhibits satisfactory antibacterial and antifouling properties due to the synergistic effect of a strong hydration layer of hydrophilic NVP fragments and low adhesion of hydrophobic TFEMA unit. The slow hydrolysis of the as-prepared self-polishing nanocomposite coating results in the formation of micro/nano structures due to the exposure of SiO₂-g-(PVP-co-PTFEMA) in seawater. Moreover, the SiO₂-g-(PVP-co-PTFEMA) based nanocomposite coating exhibits high mechanical durability. The as-prepared self-polishing nanocomposite coating combines outstanding antifouling performance and high mechanical durability, which could be an ideal choice in marine antifouling applications.