A general approach to controlling the surface composition of poly(ethylene oxide)-based block copolymers for antifouling coatings

Michael D. Dimitriou, Zhaoli Zhou, Hee Soo Yoo, Kato L. Killops, John A. Finlay, Gemma Cone, Harihara S. Sundaram, Nathaniel A. Lynd, Katherine P. Barteau, Luis M. Campos, Daniel A. Fischer, Maureen E. Callow, James A. Callow, Christopher K. Ober*, Craig J. Hawker, Edward J. Kramer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

109 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

To control the surface properties of a polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer, perfluorinated chemical moieties were specifically incorporated into the block copolymer backbone. A polystyrene-block- poly[(ethylene oxide)-stat-(allyl glycidyl ether)] [PS-b-P(EO-stat-AGE)] statistical diblock terpolymer was synthesized with varying incorporations of allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) in the poly(ethylene oxide) block from 0 to 17 mol %. The pendant alkenes of the AGE repeat units were subsequently functionalized by thiol-ene chemistry with 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctanethiol, yielding fluorocarbon-functionalized AGE (fAGE) repeat units. 1H NMR spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography indicated well-defined structures with complete functionalization of the pendant alkenes. The surfaces of the polymer films were characterized after spray coating by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS), showing that the P(EO-stat-fAGE) block starts to compete with polystyrene to populate the surface after only 1 mol % incorporation of fAGE. Increasing the incorporation of fAGE led to an increased amount of perfluorocarbons on the surface and a decrease in the concentration of PS. At a fAGE incorporation of 8 mol %, PS was not detected at the surface, as measured by NEXAFS spectroscopy. Water contact angles measured by the captive-air-bubble technique showed the underwater surfaces to be dynamic, with advancing and receding contact angles varying by >20°. Protein adsorption studies demonstrated that the fluorinated surfaces effectively prevent nonspecific binding of proteins relative to an unmodified PS-b-PEO diblock copolymer. In biological systems, settlement of spores of the green macroalga Ulva was significantly lower for the fAGE-incorporated polymers compared to the unmodified diblock and a polydimethylsiloxane elastomer standard. Furthermore, the attachment strength of sporelings (young plants) of Ulva was also reduced for the fAGE-containing polymers, affirming their potential as fouling-release coatings.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)13762-13772
Number of pages11
JournalLangmuir
Volume27
Issue number22
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2011
Externally publishedYes

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