Grafting embedded poly(ionic liquid) brushes on biomimetic sharklet resin surface for anti-biofouling applications

In this work, we combined 3D printing technology and subsurface-initiated ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) to construct a multi-scale brush-based antifouling surface. A biomimetic sharklet structured substrate embedded with ROMP initiator was prepared by 3D printing with commercial acrylic resin. Then, the embedded poly(ionic liquid) brushes were grafted onto the as-prepared biomimetic sharklet via subsurface-initiated ROMP of a novel ionic liquid monomer containing benzotriazole and imidazole groups ([BNIm][Br]). A series of characterization including infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscope proved the successful grafting of poly([BNIm][Br]) brushes on the as-prepared surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy etching and friction tests demonstrated that poly([BNIm][Br]) can be grafted not only on the surface but on the subsurface of the as-prepared surface, and the as-prepared poly(ionic liquid) brush-based surfaces showed satisfactory wear resistance compared to traditional surface initiated ROMP. Subsequently, we evaluated the anti-biofouling properties of poly([BNIm][Br]) brushes. The results indicated that poly(ionic liquid) brushes can obviously resist adhesion of bovine serum albumin and have good anti-bacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus. The as-prepared poly(ionic liquid) brush-based biomimetic surface also exhibited considerable antifouling performance for microalgae (Porphyridium and Dunaliella) due to the synergistic effect of the surface composition and microstructure.